Crossed Fates: Peace
by SabreKnightNA
Summary: The Guild has begun to corrupt, doing terrible and unspeakable acts just to get a few more resources. Kenneth, a young Guild Knight, is one of the first to stand up to it. Join him as he attempts to rally against the Guild and stop the corruption within it! Rated M for language, some suggestive themes, blood and gore. All the characters are mine, but CAPCOM owns Monster Hunter.
1. Prologue

-Crossed Fates: Peace-

A fresh take on more of an unpolished idea that I had, Crossed Fates' characters and ideas have been in my head for a very long time. Unlike last time, I'm taking a more professional approach. Like I should have the first time.

Instead of pumping out chapters day after day, I'm going to focus on quality, as it seems pointless to put a deadline on myself with as much free time as I have right now. Additionally, I'm going to take my time to look at the story and the world a little more closely myself, and take the time to explain it.

If anyone who's read the original "story" is reading this, I would very much like to hear how I've improved. Last time, I introduced a bunch of new stuff with zero explanation. I'm going to be sticking with the tech and locations of the latest Monster Hunter; Generations. Then go from there. I still have a grasp on what I want for the story, which I hope to explain fluently.

This time, I'm going for a more... I guess, war story type. Have you ever thought that the Guild was lying to you? Well, maybe they are. In this story, at least.

Although, quick **WARNING!**..

This chapter is ah... a bit dark. The whole story might be like this. So, uh... yeah!

* * *

 _I thought I was on the right side._

 _Screams. Screams of pain and anguish._

 _I can't believe I was such a fool for so long._

 _Hundreds. HUNDREDS of people. For what?_

 _That's it. I'm done. I'm done being their lapdog._

 _These people were innocent, and I believed otherwise just because they said so._

Kenneth a talented and young Guild Knight, supposedly deceived by the cause he fought so hard for. After years and years of the same work, he'd never felt so conflicted.

All the information he'd found could have easily been fake. It all seemed to add up, though.

There were tons of letters filled with some of the Guild's darkest secrets. Secret meetings spied on and then recorded on paper, people hearing word from the high ranking Guild Knights. All sorts of things. All of it was no good, and only benefited the Guild. His loyalty to them wavered seeing all of it.

He had started to deny it and just head back to Kokoto, but then...

He thought about everything he did for the sake of so called justice.  
Stopping acclaimed criminals that seemed just like any innocent person.  
Taking goods from thieves that seemed to be merchants.

Every mission he had been on before reeked with inconsistencies. He just ignored them and followed through each mission with blind loyalty. Which raised another question, if the Guild caused so many problems... why was there never some kind of rebellion, or an uprising of some sort?

There were many questions with unbelievable answers. Every single one brought on the same question, "is it true?"

He stood around many corpses, some of them were still fresh as well. His Alloy armor shining in the setting sunlight, and his Guild Rapier, dripping blood from the innocents he'd slain. The village that had been peaceful when he had walked in. The happy faces that greeted him. He just slaughtered them like Mosswine. Yes, they did fight back... but they were just protecting what they had worked so hard to build up.

And then there was her. The village's Elder. She tried reasoning with him. Bargaining. Begging. Genuine pleads of mercy, and he ignored it all.

"I-I-" He stuttered, bowing his head sadly. In that one moment, everything caught up to him. "I'm... evil. A monster." He cried. Though, Kenneth then realized something. His head rose and he shook away the tears.

He was only following orders. He'd been trained to become a Guild Knight and a Hunter ever since he was a teenager. Listening to the Guild had been implanted into his brain. They abused the fact that he was young and blind, and used his great talent for their own benefit. Everything he had to be sad about wasn't all his fault.

"No. THEY'RE the monsters." He said angrily, putting his hands into fists.

He'd get them for this. Big time.

His father, the leader of the Guild itself. Edward Kazamure, the one pulling all the strings. Sending him out on these murder missions and praising him for it. Making him think he'd done good for the whole world.

"How could I have been so blind?!" Muttered Kenneth, daunted at his own ignorance.

It was HIM that was vile. HIM that was evil. The now calming and lovely memories of him and his father together enraged him. If everything Kenneth had done in the past... if all of it was truly a lie... then he'd make up for what good ol' Dad sent him out to every day.

"I WON'T STAND FOR THIS, FATHER! YOU HEAR ME!? I REFUSE!" He screamed angrily towards the trees. Small Monsters noticed his cry and started poking around. A Rathalos had seemingly roared in reply to his yell as well. Now that it might have heard him, he'd have to move on.

There's one thing he wouldn't move on from though. The treachery of his very own father.

"I will find a way. And when I do, you better be scared. Even the deepest of caves won't hide you from my wrath. I. Will. Kill you." He muttered quietly, baring his teeth.

On that mindset, he walked slowly away from the desecrated village. This mission was his last one before he got promoted to a High-rank Guild Knight. Tomorrow, the day he'd get his promotion, Kenneth decided he would resign.

 _The only way for this to stop, is if I stop. I'm a key asset to their operations. I walk away, they lose a good man.  
_ Yes, it was simple. Resign and simply abandon the job.  
 _...I can't just resign though. Too suspicious. I need to have some kind of reason..._

His mind lingered on that thought for a little while. He would need a real legitimate reason for resigning. He broke into a sprint, running through the shrubbery and past the nearby trees.

What mattered is that he would never hurt an innocent soul again. Not in the name of the Guild. Even if they did come after him for double-crossing them, he could rest easy knowing that they were down a talented Knight.

* * *

So that's that! What do you think? I didn't want to go on about a bunch of pointless small things in the past, so I thought I'd start here, where the conflict in Kenneth's mind begins.

And if you haven't got the memo, he's probably going to kill his father at some point.

I'm the absolute best. Just the start of the story and already his own son's already planning to kill him!

Thank me later. He's one bad dude.

See you next chapter!

-SabreKnightNA


	2. Chapter 1

Ah, beautiful Kokoto. I never played the first MH game, but I have played Generations. And I must say, I quite like Kokoto and its theme.

...wait wait wait, I'm getting off track here. The story! Right.

Read on!

* * *

 _Hopefully they will understand._

 _That wasn't as easy as it seemed._

 _...but it was the right thing to do, regardless._

 _And to think. This is just the beginning._

Kenneth walked into Kokoto through its front gate. A breeze gently went through the trees, the leaves rustling quietly. The people often enjoyed the peace and quiet, as it's scarce when there's loud, dangerous predators on the prowl. As he walked in, a few villagers waved to him. He smiled and kept walking along.

He would have waved back if he hadn't noticed his father lying in wait for him.

"Son, welcome back." He called out to Kenneth, smiling. His expression was calm as well. "I assume that the mission was successful? They've been apprehended?"

 _That's putting it lightly._ _Apprehended._ He mentally scoffed, thinking angrily of his past missions. "Yes. It went along smoothly." Kenneth replied, keeping his aggressive thoughts hidden under a smile. Edward began to approach him.

"You know what time it is, since you completed that mission," He pulled out a box from behind his back, opening it slightly to reveal a set of Guild Bard armor inside. "I'm proud that you can keep the peace as well as I can." Shutting the box, Edward hid it back behind his back and waited for a reply from Kenneth.

Peace. His resignation. Yes... Kenneth had come up with a clever, but vicious idea.

 _If I act like I'm traumatized from all the people I've had to kill even though they were "criminals," then he'll DEFINITELY let me resign. Then, I find away to break away from Kokoto. After I get away, I'll go from there. It's a long shot... but I have to try._

"Dad," Kenneth started, shaking his head and staring at the ground. "I'm not sure if can do this..." He got a concerned look from Edward.

"Is everything alright? Is there, perhaps, something you want to tell me?" He asked. Kenneth shook his head.

"No, let's just start the ceremony and-" He started to sound upset. "I don't think so. If you're not in good health, we can hold it off." Edward interrupted. He patted his son on the back. "Please, just gather everyone and we'll get it over with. I just had a moment of doubt. It's an honor, really." Kenneth said, making his voice crack.

"If that's what you want." His father said hesitantly. He ordered two Guild Knights to set up the ceremony. Normally, becoming a High-rank Guild Knight was a humongous honor. It had honestly been easy work for Kenneth.

The easy route wasn't Kenneth's way. Especially if it involved preying on the weak.

 _I wonder if Dad really is falling for my act. Hopefully I'll know in due time._ Kenneth thought, a grin formed when Edward turned around.

"We'll have it ready in a few minutes." One of the Knights said. Marching off to knock on people's doors.

* * *

The whole village had gathered, and all Guild Knights positioned in Kokoto were there, as well as a few visitors.

"People of Kokoto," Edward's voice yelled. "Today is a proud day. We have another Knight who has proven himself worthy of defending this very town!" He said triumphantly. The small crowd of people cheered softly. He turned around to Kenneth, who stood behind him. "Step forward, please."

Kenneth stepped out from behind his father, looking proud to be here. He still had his Guild Rapier at his side.

 _Good. Now... If I remember correctly, taking off my sheathe and weapon then dropping them to the ground means resignation. Just gotta wait for the right time..._ He'd waited for this one moment. All eyes on him. Edward pulled out the box with his new uniform.

"Kenneth, you have shown great strength and honor to the Guild." Edward's voice had pride. He wasn't prepared for the surprise that Kenneth had in store for him. "My son... I would be honored if you would accept this garb, and take your place as a High-ranking Guild Knight-"

Kenneth's mind rushed with thoughts and emotions. _Let's see how they react to this._ He thought. _Now!_

Everything happened so fast. Not even his mind slowed it down for him. He took off his sheathe with great speed and threw it to the ground. Edward jumped backward in surprise, and the crowd gasped.

"I can't do it." Kenneth said, voice shaky. "I can't fucking do it."

Chatter began in the crowd.

"Son, what are you doing?" Edward asked, startled at this sudden act.

"Voices. I still hear their pleads. Their CRIES!" He began to hyperventilate, muster fake tears. "Don't make me do this. They'll kill me..." He put his hands on his head. People backed off when he shouted. Edward put his hand on his son's back and starting walking him back to their house, the crowd still staring at a seemingly real outburst.

He just stared at his son, fearing that something was terribly wrong. "Everyone back to your homes." Ordered Edward.

 _Yes. It's working!_ Kenneth thought hopefully.

The Quest Gal ran over to check on him. "Is everything alright, Mr. Kazamure?" She asked, curious and concerned. Edward simply gave her a glare and walked away.

 _Just what did he witness?_ Edward thought, his mind swirling with possibilities. _I can only hope he didn't witness something positively horrid._

He'd pushed Kenneth inside their little home in Kokoto. This wasn't where they really lived, it's just where they stayed while they were in town.

"Kenny, buddy, please... Are you alright, tell me, is someone threatening you?" Edward's voice clearly sounded worried and afraid.

"Please..." Kenneth pleaded. "...just let me resign. I can't keep killing people. It doesn't feel right. Ever." Edward tried to think of something to say. He was speechless.

 _No breaks on the pain train. Sorry Dad. Heh heh heh..._ He thought maliciously.

"I can even... still hear the creatures I've killed too... Their whimpers as I cut them up, their tears as I ended them..." He started to shake and tear up again.

"It's enough!" Edward quickly said as he pulled him in for a hug. "It's enough... I'll suspend both your licenses, and we can talk every day we need to, okay?" He said, letting a tear of his own slip loose. It was a genuine one. "I'm sorry I made you do all this, Kenny... Just stay here, with me."

 _I think... this is the last sweet moment we ever spend together. As long as he lives... The whole world suffers from him being the Guildmaster, but... for now, I think I should enjoy his company._ Kenneth thought, closing his eyes. He drifted away, comforted by his father.

* * *

Aww they're snuggling.

Well, that was interesting. At least you guys get to see what he's like as a father first, and not as a Guildmaster. He really is a caring father on this side of the coin.

Sadly that's not the side that it landed on for the sake of this story.  
If peace is to be a truth, as you know...

 _HE MUST DIE._

See you in the next chapter.

-SabreKnightNA


	3. Chapter 2

From here on out, I plan the chapters to be longer. Only reason I cut the chapter before this short was because I thought where it ended was a good spot to stop. That's really the only reason. Hopefully more time waited for more time reading is an okay trade!

Also, we'll be going through a slight timelapse. Please, enjoy the ride and don't touch the stream of time!

* * *

One week after Kenneth's breakdown...

Inside the Kazamure's Kokoto home, a bit of a ruckus was starting up. Edward's voice could be heard throughout the town, unhappily stating things and cursing at the poor medic that was simply trying to explain things.

"He seems very stressed..." The medic said. He was visiting Edward each week in the afternoon to give him status updates on Kenneth's mental health. It didn't look good.

"We think he has post-traumatic stress, which obviously isn't a good thing... Who knows what has him cringing in fear, but by things he said during his outbreak, he might be getting threatened and he fears for his life." The medic said, looking at his notes on his clipboard. Edward was stressed as well, unable to think in his right mind sometimes.

"I'm giving you a month. I will be visiting once every week, and if our combined efforts aren't enough, then he's coming right home with me. And he's STAYING here." He stated sternly, with a tone that meant no funny business. That medic had no idea what to say. Scared at his stern and angry attitude, he tried to muster a sentence.

"B-but that seems illogical! W-wouldn't it be best for him t-to stay at the clinic-" He stuttered, being interrupted by Edward, who was actually irritated now. "You want my son to stay in your damn clinic so you get paid, THAT'S IT." He slammed the arm of the sofa he sat in. "I want no bullshit, and I certainly don't need any more crap showing up in my mail! I've got enough on my plate to deal with, WE ARE DONE HERE." He shouted, standing up from the sofa.

His thoughts now clouded by anger, Edward shoved the medic out of his house and slammed the door as soon as he was out of the house. He took a deep sigh and sat back down on the nearby sofa again.

 _What am I going to do? These idiots work because they get paid, and my son's mind is on the line. I'll sue their asses if I find out if he went mad because of them._ He thought, mouthing curses. He sat there, thinking hard about what to do. _These are such troubling times..._

* * *

Two weeks after Kenneth's breakdown...

Edward went to this clinic himself this time, coming earlier than he was supposed to. At noon instead of the afternoon.

When he walked inside, Edward noticed the clinic had multiple rooms, unlike most buildings around Kokoto. The front room is where people were registered as coming in, if they needed medical attention, that is. He walked up to the man managing a list of people and asked, "Edward Kazamure, I'm here for my son, Kenneth." After he asked, the man raised a finger. "Ah, he's here. Head into the room on the left, that's where we keep our patients." He said, pointing down a hallway.

It was a short walk, but there he was. Along with Kenneth, there were a few unconscious and wounded Hunters in the room, all laying on beds. Kenneth was awake, luckily. Edward walked into the room with a smile, hoping to brighten his son's mood. He sat down a chair that was by the bed, probably used by the doctor. Edward sat face to face with him, keeping a smile on his face. His smile grew wider when he saw Kenneth smile back.

"How you doing, Kenny?" His father asked calmly, putting a hand on one of Kenneth's hands.

"As best as a guy could after having a breakdown. I just needed some time to relax, to get rid of all the stress." Kenneth said, exhaling loudly. "I've had a lot of time to think things over, as well. Dwelling on the past is one of the things I realized I do." He looked away from Edward and muttered, "What's done is done, though."

 _How long will I have to keep this up to get away? This is not working... At this rate, I'll be here for months._ Kenneth thought, struggling to keep his expression from reflecting his thoughts. _I can't keep wasting time! I need to make my escape soon. Regardless of how I do it._

He looked back at Edward, putting his other hand on Edward's.

"I'll stay here. You worry about your job. Don't worry about me, okay Dad?" Kenneth said, yawning. "I've been up longer than you think. Thank you for the visit. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to rest some more." He closed his eyes, and drifted away quite rapidly.

 _He's just like his mother. I do hope he grows up better than she did, though..._ Edward pulled his hand away from Kenneth, his mind now troubled with the thought of his wife. _Damn her. Why couldn't she have just listened to me? We could have all lived in luxury. In peace._

He left the clinic, his thoughts conflicted. Edward couldn't hide anything; if he was upset, it was visible on his face. When he passed by the Quest Gal, he decided to relieve a little bit of his past.

"Hey, miss," He said, walking to his house. The Quest Gal was sitting down at one of the benches and hopped up when she heard her name. "Yes, Mr. Kazamure?" She asked. "Get me a... _very very good_ quest. I'm feeling lucky." Edward said, a door being shut following the end of his sentence.

* * *

Three weeks after Kenneth's breakdown...

At midnight, Kenneth finally found a chance to get up and scope out the area. The reception guy was on break, and there were plenty of clouds covering up the moon. He had to memorize the patrols of the Knights. If they caught him trying to sneak out, it would most likely lead to the conclusion of treachery.

Slowly opening the clinic's front door without making a sound, Kenneth poked his head out and scanned the area. Kokoto's gate, while it seemed so close, had Guild Knights wandering everywhere. He remembered that a lot of the time, their routes were set. He'd hoped that Edward hadn't raised security because he suspected he might be trying to double-cross them.

They weren't marching. Good, that meant they were on the casual patrol routes. Hopefully, any Monster attacks would wait until he was going to escape.

 _The only way my escape would go more perfect is if a Monster decided to attack at the same time I decided to make my escape. That would be positively perfect._ Kenneth thought. Hearing footsteps, he quietly shut the front door.

Slowly, the footsteps passed. The dirt under the Knight's boots crunching softly. The steps faded, and he slowly opened the door again. Looking around again, he spotted the armory and the forge to the right, along with the benches and tables that everyone hung out at.

Louder footsteps, on wood boards this time. The receptionist was off break. Kenneth rushed to shut the door, making sure to slow down before it shut. He stepped quietly, but quickly. Hopping into his bed, he moved back into the same position he fell asleep in.

Intently listening, there were the footsteps again. The receptionist checked in the room, carrying a candle and a clipboard. Making sure that every patient was where they should have been. He paced for a few minutes, muttering about his "late shift" and complained about "watching over sleeping patients that do nothing." Eventually, he left the room and returned to the front desk.

Kenneth let out a quiet, but a very relieved sigh. He had finally found out a good plan, with multiple other plans to back it up. He curled up under a white blanket, only to fall asleep once more under the warm cloth.

* * *

Four weeks after Kenneth's breakdown...

Kenneth had now went over his plan in his head multiple times now. He was confident it would work, as long as he stayed quiet inside Kokoto. Once he got closer to the Verdant Hills, he was in for the clear. They wouldn't go searching for him in the dark of the night unless they were really desperate.

Sitting up out of his bed, the receptionist was on his break again. During his night shift, he took about two to three breaks throughout the whole thing. They weren't very long, either. Using the chance he had immediately, he slowly moved towards the clinic's front door, just like last time. Slowly opening it and peeking out, it wasn't cloudy, so he'd be slightly more visible. Stepping outside for the first time in weeks, he took in a deep breath of the cool air.

 _Good to be back out where I belong._ Kenneth thought, crouching low to the ground and sticking to the side of the clinic. He looked around, and to his surprise, there were less Guild Knights on patrol tonight.

 _Not expected, but convenient nonetheless!_ He thought, thinking of the freedom he'd get once he left Kokoto.

He moved on to the house next to the clinic, looking back at the Canteen. _I'll miss that cheery Felyne. Could spice up any day or meal!_ Kenneth gave a small salute to the Canteen, giving it a final goodbye. He moved on to the next house. Just one more house to go, it was almost too easy. He peeked around the corner, finding a Guild Knight sleeping at his post.

 _He's gonna get nailed for that one. I know the punishment for sleeping on the job far too well._ He felt nostalgic, thinking of his past. Sadly, his great past wasn't as great as he remembered. He quickly ran to the next house, and spying no other Knights wandering about, Kenneth walked for the gate instead of running.

 _The only home I ever knew, the root of evil? I'll gladly say goodbye._ He was about to step outside the gate, but then a long, and a laugh made him stop dead in his tracks.

"Why, Kenneth. Are you sleepwalking again? You haven't done that since you were a child." A menacing, unfamiliar voice said. Kenneth flinched in response. He glared back at the voice, finding his father. He'd never seen his father under such a maniacal light. His armor, drenched in blood, hiding under the cover of darkness, and a deep, threatening voice. "Talking a walk for the fun of it, maybe?" He asked, approaching slowly.

"You're not trying to escape, are you-" Edward began, before Kenneth bolted away. Edward naturally, chased after. Kenneth was quite young and nimble, his father definitely wasn't fast enough to catch up to him. Regardless that he was a Hunter.

Before he left, though... Kenneth had to give him some kind of farewell.

"Damn you and everything you've done!" He screamed as he ran from his father. "I can't believe what I've done because you!"

After hearing that, Edward stopped chasing him. Watching his only son flee away from him, presumably knowing everything he had ordered him to do. He shook his head and walked back into Kokoto.

Kenneth, however, kept running and dared not look back. He was going to hide in the Hills for a long time. Once the time came, he'd sneak into the various Guild cities in disguise to gather people for the rebellion. Any soul willing enough would be good enough. Everyone was capable of doing great things; some people just needed help to see that.

* * *

Maybe Kenneth should have just acted like he had a mental condition in the first place, getting Edward to stay with him at home every day. It would have kept Edward just as busy as opposing him on the battlefield! That's not what I want for this though. I'm looking for a bit of a war story here!

Next chapter protocol, keep to it!

-SabreKnightNA


	4. Chapter 3

So. This chapter was actually erased once by accident. So it ain't the same chapter that it was before, as the original chapter was lost in my last computer when it died. Big mistake on my part. This is a remake, not the original chapter.

This one continues just after the last chapter.

* * *

Kenneth didn't let up- he kept running without looking back.

 _I can't let him catch me... I can't let him catch me..._ He kept thinking to himself as he desperately dashed past tree after tree. Fear was the only thing that drove him to keep going, fatigue made him stop running. Panting heavily, he finally decided to look behind him. Nothing, no father, no light, and... no safety. All he knew was that he'd run right into the heart of the Forest.

 _Okay. Okay. What now?_ Thought Kenneth, who had decided to sit down to calm his nerves. His eyes scanned the surroundings, because if he ignored any predators he was as good as dead. Yeah, not a good way to calm yourself. Regardless, he was able to keep calm enough to rest and plot out his next moves.

 _Now that I'm away from my father and all those Guild Knights, I can plot as much as I like._

 _First things first, I need equipment to make myself look like a Hunter. Simple bone armor will do.  
_ _Next I need to head west, to Minegarde. Kokoto has mostly Guild inhabitants and has nowhere to hide. Minegarde is much larger and more populated, so even if there are more Guild members I can still hide.  
_ _Then I need to go to Pokke, maybe Yukumo. They're older villages that haven't seen too many problems over the recent years. Only issue is, they're so far away, so I'll need to take an airship.  
_ _Once at either place, it will be time to rally some people against the Guild and get them equipped too._

 _It's settled, then. Make equipment, get into Minegarde as a Hunter, then get on an airship and... start a rebellion!_

With his plan in mind, Kenneth slowly stood up. No quick movements should keep the attention from Monsters to a minimum. He starting moving along at a steady, fast walking pace. As he proceeded, his eyes searched the best they could in the dark of the night. He noticed nothing significant or dangerous.

For a while he wandered, unsure what to actually do. A cloud blew over the moon, which glowed bright enough to provide some light. It became covered, further darkening the night. Only when Kenneth could barely see, did he realize what he really needed right now.

 _A fire. I need a fire right now!_ He thought, looking around to see something. It was as if there was nothing around him, his eyes hadn't adjusted to this darkness yet! He could feel himself starting to freak out again. Exposed and defenseless, it was almost impossible to keep focus. He knelt down to touch the ground- it was there, alright. He had to wait and hope that nothing would come to attack him during this period of helplessness.

Color, a deep green... it was the grass he was looking down at. His eyes were finally starting to adjust. He took a deep breath, and let out a sigh of relief. He didn't know how long he sat there and he didn't want to know. Worst part was, a simple cloud had caused this entire thing. It almost made him want to chuckle, maybe even laugh. He had to stay quiet though.

Standing back up, he got to gathering sticks right off of trees and grabbing handfuls of grass for kindling. It took a few minutes to gather what he needed for a small fire. There were plenty more sticks he could add from nearby trees though. Only issues were, where would it be safe, and how would he start this fire? He chucked the stuff in an unorganized pile and went to thinking.

 _I need a sharp rock and some kind of metal. Iron is common among the Forest and Hills. Stuff's very concentrated even when raw, considering you can make such large weapons with so few ores!_ He thought, a little more confident now. It faded fast, as he realized the risks. _There's still the issue of dying while I look for it..._

He scanned the immediate area. Even two or three of the chunks of raw iron would do him good. Common ores seemed to be on the surface, while rare ores appeared underground, fortunately for him. It was only a forest at the moment, so he started to wander again. Instead of settling down where he had dropped all of those hunks of grass and sticks, he picked them up. Then he headed away from the moon, which was also away from Kokoto. That's all he cared about right now, surviving and getting away from his father.

 _This is so unnerving. I can't defend myself while holding all this, all I can do is run!_ He thought, trying to look past the stuff he was carrying. He could barely see where he was going with the sticks in his face, so he tried carrying it closer to his body and down by his hips. He was able to see again, regardless that it was still dark.

 _This is better._ Kenneth casually thought, until a branch scraped his arm gently. Did that cut him?! If he got cut so soon, he would be dead long before he could do anything. Luckily for him, when he looked, it had only given him a slight scratch. It didn't reach flesh, just damaged his skin a little bit. He had himself another sigh of relief. It wouldn't be long before he'd be a nervous wreck- he was jumpy already.

Getting back on track, he'd gotten comfortable with carrying the sticks. He had found a positive side to it, too. He could throw the stuff he was carrying on the Monster to trap it under all of those sticks. That would work for most all small Monsters. What would really help would be an unoccupied cave. Having somewhere to temporarily stay might help him get used to the layout of the nearby forests, and dispose of tonight's need for a fire. That was a bit much to ask for in his mind, though.

Kenneth strolled through the Forest as he carried an unmade campfire around. As he walked through this section of the Forest and Hills he found some steep hills, (go figure) but no cliffs or mountains that would house ores or maybe a cave. He kept walking up hills to get higher- some height would help him find a place to go. When he did get there, everything was obscured by trees! Trees, trees then more trees, blocking his view to see anything that might be useful. It frustrated him, so he kept walking. The night went on.

Until he found, after twenty minutes of walking... he was absolutely lost.

On the bright side, when he looked around, there was a few small drops that were like giant stairs. That was silly looking and it cheered him up a little. These went down- probably closer to the Hunting Area for the newbies. Well, he had been going up for a long time now. Gleefully, he hopped down those small cliffs one by one, each fall like jumping down about five or six steps of a staircase. Which was a little uncomfortable on the knees since they took all the impact.

 _Ooh... That's gonna hurt in the morning..._ Kenneth thought, groaning as his knees ached. It was fun at first, but after jumping off the last little cliff he wasn't so sure if it was a good idea. Randomly, he picked a direction to head, but before he left he checked behind him and, lo and behold, there was ore! Iron ore in one of those chunks of rock.

He dropped the sticks and leaves he was carrying so fast. The area around him opened up, no trees or plants to hide him... not a good spot to be if he got caught out. He was far too distracted to care. He grabbed one of the random rocks lying everywhere and started striking the rock chunk, hoping to chip them away and grab one of the ores. It thumped as he struck stone with stone, barely chipping at it even with his best efforts.

 _What am I actually doing right now? Rocks don't chip other rocks easily! This is noisy and could take forever!_ He thought, still continuing to strike the chunk regardless of his conscience. Slowly, little pieces of rock fell away from the chunk. Kenneth only sat there and chipped away without any cares.

 _Chip-chop, gimme the ore. Chip-chop, I need that ore._ He came up with a little tune, a metronome quickly ticking in his head. This continued a few minutes until it looked ready to pull out. Immediately he grabbed it and tugged, expecting resistance. He fell over backward when he pulled it loose, as there was about as much resistance as a hot knife through butter.

"I can make fire now! Yes..." Kenneth exclaimed unconsciously. He added the ore and his used rock to the pile of stuff and then grabbed it all, rushing off into the open area without realizing. His running was made more noticeable by the rustling of tall grass that he was going through, and that's when he started to slow down.

 _I'm getting ahead of myself. Stop it, Kenneth!_ He scolded himself as he came to a screeching halt. He looked around to find a rather large clearing, with the forest not being too far off. He already knew he'd made a huge mistake by not paying attention to where he was going. His breathing became rapid, but instead of panicking he crouched low into the grass and listened.

 _Listen for subtleties. Listen for danger.  
...quit thinking and listen for your goddamn life!_

He quieted himself, controlled his breathing, and finally... listened carefuly.

Nothing but the breeze and the leaves could be heard.

Since it was basically dead silent, he just headed towards the forest. That seemed like the safer choice. Slowly, he walked while crouched down, the blades of grass only quietly rustling as he moved through the field. It was as simple as staying (relatively) calm to move stealthily to the trees that would provide a good amount of safety from larger predators. He could already see the leaves above his head, and while that got him out of a situation, he did not feel relieved. Not in the slightest.

He did however, recollect his thoughts and get back on track. Dropping everything held onto the ground, he organized all the materials into separate piles. All the grass and sticks, et cetera was together while he chucked the Iron ore and his stones together. He couldn't fall asleep during this fire, and it had to be small. So he proceeded in gathering his fuel and kindling in the center, while he picked up his stone and ore to light it. He thought he would have had to sharpen iy, but chipping at the ore deposit was enough to give it the edge he needed.

Kenneth started by striking the stones together- a small spark, no smoke. The sound was a gentle _flit_ , not what you'd expect when you were scraping metal. He continued to strike it in rhythm, until one particular spark fell into to his makeshift fire-pit and made it start smoking. He dropped the stone and ore on the spot and went right to giving the smoldering fire the oxygen it needed. He had remembered that fire-making was a very delicate process. Controlled ones, at least. Gently he blew, making it smoke more, until finally a little flame lit and popped out from under the pile of wood and grass. He gasped, startled at the sudden heat.

 _How long has it been since I've been around a gentle flame, one that wasn't trying to engulf me?_ Kenneth thought sadly, reaching his hand out and feeling the warmth being put off by the fire. His eyelids felt heavy- he'd been awake for so long waiting for that doctor to give him a chance to escape... if he could just take a nice-

 _No! I can't let this fire spread. It could kill me and burn the forest down too._ He thought, shaking his head to knock himself out of his own daze. He wanted so badly to lie down and sleep. He got up, keeping an eye trained on the fire as he looked for stones around him. Sleep was all he wanted.

So sleep he would get. He found a few stones to surround his small circular fire-pit, not enough to perfectly surround it, but perhaps enough to stop the fire from spreading. If you had a Hammer, you could probably have dropped that on his fire to put it out and cover the entire campsite. That's how small it was. So, without any further delays, he laid down, unable to fight back sleepiness. He yawned and closed his eyes happily, drifting off to sleep peacefully.

 _If only I could experience this gentle warmth more often..._

* * *

Kenneth had a dreamless sleep, but he was relaxed and at peace while he rested. Some bugs, nothing harmful, felt like climbing and walking over him every now and then.

"Kahhh!" roared a Velociprey that had found him sleeping. It was one thing that certainly wasn't going to ignore an easy meal. He woke with a start, the Velociprey already almost in his face when he sat up. It leaped up in the air right at him, and his response was to roll to the side to get out of the way. These little things were fragile, so he just needed to get a hold of it.

Standing up, he focused on his attacker. Naturally it didn't have any strategy, it rushed right at him with its' jaws open. He sidestepped it and grappled it to the ground, getting his arms around its' throat. The Velociprey wiggled and struggled, yet it was unable to get Kenneth off of it even with its' best efforts. A violent twist was all that was needed to end its' life, a quiet snap of its' neck was a sure sign that it was dead. A whimper of pain and it closed its' eyes, then the Velociprey fell limp in his arms. He dropped it to the grassy floor and stared for a moment. Such a simple encounter was dangerous even when you were armed. Hunters were taught to never underestimate even the littlest of Monsters.

 _No doubt about it. That was a good thing to teach Hunters._ He commented to his teaching. Kenneth stretched out his limbs, still feeling a little stiff from waking up. That Velociprey was one of the worst and best wake-up calls he'd ever had.

"Yeah, thanks Mother Nature. Thanks a bundle." He said aloud, looking back at the Velociprey's corpse. His stomach growled, and a smile came across his face. He also had free breakfast, apparently. They had very little meat was and what you could get was not very tasty at all. Regardless, it was something to keep you alive. He didn't have a carving knife either- ding ding ding, Velociprey claw!

"Yes... Thanks again." Kenneth muttered with a smile, grabbed the top of the claw, and pressed his heel against it. He was a lanky young man, but these Bird Wyverns were so small that it didn't take much to hurt or kill them, much like a person. The claw came loose with a snap, it had broken loose unevenly. It was a temporary knife nonetheless, he couldn't complain.

 _Is it ironic that I'm going to be carving this Velociprey with its' own claw?_ He wondered, rolling the corpse onto its' back. He cut into the belly of the Velociprey with the claw, causing some blood to spill. It slowly flowed out and pooled at Kenneth's feet. The claw was a bit tricky to use, as it was very curved, but it was certainly safer to get than a tooth.

 _Wouldn't wanna be that guy in the clinic, pulling teeth for carnivores... or any kind of doctor for those kinds of creatures!_ Funnily, he thought. Out of all times to be thinking all those weird, unrealistic, hypothetical situations, it was when he was trying to survive. He began cutting out small chunks of meat and chuckled. Unlike the liver of an herbivore, this 'prey's liver would probably make him sick, and anything else wouldn't really be worth the effort. With that in mind, he left everything else untouched. He realized he had nothing to carry any of the meat he just carved, or any hide he might. This Velociprey's hide would not do at all for a pouch, as it was too thin. It seemed he had to eat all of this on the spot, unfortunately.

 _Better than nothing I'll admit. I could be out here with nothing, clutching my stomach while in search of food._ He thought thankfully, then looking to the firepit he had lying around. He had to cook the meat with what fuel remained, if there was any. Many of the small sticks were missing. They had burned just fine, but nothing else had, which meant the fire had gone out merely a minute or two after he fell asleep. He had survived the night due to pure dumb luck, nothing more.

 _Or I could have lost my life in the dark of the night, and no one would have thought anything of it. I've too much to be thankful for right now to complain._ His other thoughts went mainly to what could have happened to him while he was so vulnerable. Trampled by Aptonoth, preyed on by any small predator, murdered by poachers... the list could go on. Instead he went over to his fire, taking the stone and ore he had on hand, and started the process of lighting his fire.

The wood started to burn rapidly this time, flaring up after a spark lit one of the sticks aflame. This time the fire burned quickly and powerfully, eating up the small bits of fuel and moving on to the larger sticks. The heat it gave off was not comforting at the same distance, more like it would set _him_ on fire if he stayed that close. And thus he was reminded that fire was and would always be a dangerous and unpredictable force to be reckoned with.

Starting to focus on his hunger, he ripped a long stick off of a nearby tree, and speared all the small chunks of meat on it. Then he held it over the fire as if he were cooking with a BBQ spit, and watched it intently. Since these pieces were small, they would cook rather quickly. The flame flared up every now and then, making him a little nervous about the stick he was using. He didn't want it to burst into flames!

Not taking any risks, he stepped away and pulled the stick away from the fire. He set it down on the ground, cutting each piece slightly to check the inside. It had taken merely a few minutes to cook these- maybe not just right, but to the point that it was not raw. That's what mattered. The pieces smelled pretty good, which didn't really surprise him. A lot of meat smelled really good, and it was usually hard to tell the difference with how many different kinds there were.

He took a piece off the stick and ate it in one bite- bearable, it was reminiscent of jerky. Rather tough compared to most, and it wasn't much to brag about either. It didn't take him too long to eat the rest though, since he was so hungry.

He heard a roar in the distance. It was that 'Kahhh'-like one that belonged to Velociprey or Velocidrome. He ran to his fire, picked up a pile of the stones that surrounded it, yelped as he picked them up because, hot rocks! Then dropped them on the fire, smashing and scattering the sticks as well as making the fire start dying. That was his aim, after all. He grabbed the rocks again and dropped them on it another time, causing it to sputter and finally die.

Grabbing his Velociprey talon, iron ore piece and his striking stone, he simply ran as quickly as his tall legs could. He had been doing ever since got here in the Forest, and he could be doing it until he got out. Passing tree after tree, he'd run into another patch of tall grass. This was different though, there were cliffs that raised high above him, and trees around this area.

Where was he now? Lost again, of course.

The ground shook with a loud rumble. Then again. Something big was coming this way. Out of instinct, he dove into the tall grass and hid in it. The stomping became louder, until a huge flying wyvern walked into sight. Its' deep green scales made it a bit hard to spot...

Wait. Wings, wyvern, deep green scales, cliffs nearby... Had he stumbled into a Rathian's territory? He barely held his own against a Velociprey! How could he handle a Queen of the Land? His breathing became rapid, and his thoughts panicked.

 _Just when things were looking up! Damn, don't say this is the end. I have to stop my father... he can't be allowed to do as he pleases!_ His breathing didn't slow, but his thoughts became very focused. _If it stays far enough from my position, I can sneak away. That's best case scenario._

The Rathian looked in his general direction. It had lifted its' head- she had noticed something strange.

 _This is worst case scenario!_ His eyes desperately searched for something that could save him. He didn't want to waste his only possessions. A rock sat nearby, perfect! He grabbed it, looked past the trees to aim, and threw it as hard as he could. By the time the Rathian had noticed his hand rapidly move, it heard the clack of a rock. "Kyyyeehhhh!" It roared, thinking that the intruder was elsewhere. Kenneth hadn't had time to cover his ears, making them ring. Immediately after, the Rathian charged off in the direction off the stone.

Kenneth himself, sped off in the other direction, away from the Rathian and the Velocidrome/prey he heard. Except this time he was actually watching where he was going, unlike the other times. All his running was starting to catch up to him, unlike the Rathian he'd run away from. His legs were getting rather sore. He started to slow down steadily, something he had also started doing. Almost as soon as he stopped, he sat down by a tree and leaned on it.

 _I can't keep running like this. I'll tire myself out too quickly, and being tired in a dangerous environment is a death sentence._ Kenneth thought, scolding himself for his rash actions. _Though if I hadn't decided on those things as quickly as I did, most likely, I'd be dead. So my split-second, instinctive actions are still helpful. Many Monster Hunters rely on that kind of thinking._ He was a Monster Hunter for goodness' sake! The feeling couldn't be shaken; what was making him think that he wasn't one? Was it because he abandoned the Guild, and that's what branded a Hunter?

 _Being a part of the Guild? If that's it, then I want no part in it. I couldn't care less about a title._ He frowned, why did these things have to be so difficult? Why was there no black and white, no good and evil? Finally, Kenneth cut off his train of thought. There was a high chance that there were predators nearby, so he stood back up and got back to traveling.

* * *

For hours, Kenneth walked and walked throughout the forests of Kokoto. Noon had already past, and he was starting to feel rather hungry again. The meat he'd taken and eaten from the Velociprey left something to be desired.

 _That's what I need to do. Go hunting._ Even thinking about the word hunting had caused a small bit of anger to well up in him. How many Hunters have been deceived like him, he wondered. _No! Stop. Survive, stop thinking about that right now._

He snapped back to reality and noticed something on the ground. Tracks. Big, flat feet had walked through here. It had to be Aptonoth! Nothing else really had feet like those, except maybe Slagoth and Apceros. This wasn't the ideal habitat for either of those. Instead of rushing ahead, Kenneth walked, keeping a sharp eye and following the tracks to their source.

It didn't take long to find a group of Aptonoth in a clearing, grazing on grass. The tracks were much fresher than they looked. He watched the group of... four Aptonoth simply graze, seemingly without a care. Yet he knew better, they were ready to run from, or sometimes trample, any threat that showed itself. He had to catch a big one on surprise, that would scare the smaller Aptonoth away. This group's largest was three times his size, or more.

Confident he could still take it out, he set down his valuables in a berry bush, which he would come back to take from after he got his meal. He started his approach slowly, creeping up on the largest Aptonoth that currently stood in the open, before breaking into a sprint and body-slamming it as hard as he could!

...only, 'as hard as he could,' resulted in bouncing off the Aptonoth's side and falling to the ground. It cried out, alerting the other Aptonoth to his presence, and ran off with its' group. By the time he had got back to his feet, they were already in the trees. It would be impossible to get them now, especially since he didn't use the Velociprey talon. That was his only mistake, but it had cost him. He yelled in frustration and slammed his fist against a tree.

 _No lunch today, apparently._ He thought angrily. As if to add insult to injury, his stomach growled loudly. He ignored it and grabbed his stuff from the bush. Thankfully it was all still there. Who knew when he'd find another chance to go after such a small herd of Aptonoth. For now, he plucked a bunch of the red berries off of the bush and ate them quickly. It hardly filled him up, but it did help him keep going a little. They were sweet, juicy berries. He'd found them at a good time.

 _While these wildberries show up very often in Kokoto's forests, I'm not about to rely on them. It's time to go get me some dinner instead._ He looked to the tracks and grinned. He wasn't about to give up that easily. Kenneth didn't waste a moment, he started following those Aptonoth tracks without hesitating.

* * *

Almost the rest of the day had been spent chasing the same pack of Aptonoth! Two times had he accidentally disturbed them by stepping on (specifically) fallen leaves that crackled when he stepped on them, and another time they had run off because a Rathalos had flown past them. Now it was darker, and the Aptonoth pack was drinking at a small pond. All their backs were turned. His chance was now or never. He couldn't go on without something more to eat!

 _You're all mine now. C'mere, you delicious morsels..._ Kenneth crept up behind them, clutching the Velociprey talon tightly in his right hand. He went around the side of the largest Aptonoth and grinned. He shifted and prepared to leap, and right as he was about to, the Aptonoth looked over at him. It was far too late though, he had jumped right towards it and had thrust the talon right into its' flesh. There was a huge gash in the side of it, but it still stood. He attacked viciously and randomly, driven by nothing but hunger and desire. The other Aptonoth had scattered already, while he was still assaulting a single Aptonoth.

After his flurry of slashing and stabbing, he panted heavily and looked over at the... devastation. He had sliced up its' hide horribly, and the Aptonoth had fallen utterly still. Its' eyes, while dead and unmoving, stared right at him. He had behaved like a wild animal. For a brief moment, he had _enjoyed_ killing this creature that sat before him. Kenneth felt disturbed of himself. He was taught to kill creatures efficiently, not to draw out its' death, but to do it respectfully and quickly. That teaching had fallen off in a moment of absolute primal instinct.

 _No. No, no no! I am not cruel... Why did I... A Tigrex would be more merciful than even I just was..._ He took a moment to think, but he just couldn't. Any time he tried to ignore his misdeed, all he had to do was open his eyes and witness it again. "Life is precious," Kenneth recited. "from the smallest Hermitaur to the largest Rathalos, every creature deserves a life. If you must kill someday, do it quick and with mercy." This had come from deep in his memory. He had never read anything about these lines... had someone told him it? "Do that, and the world and its' creatures will respect you back." He finished, the words coming out as if he had memorized them by heart.

Kenneth walked over to the pond. Some blood had fallen in, but there were clear patches. He stared at his reflection, concerned for his own well being. His once unstained, pale skin was now tainted by blood. His eyes were a deep blue, and his slicked-back hair was brown, both features inherited from his mother. He sobbed after that. No mother throughout all his memory, just a failure of a father who had to lie his way to gaining what he wanted. That man was a monster, disguised as a person.

"I am no monster." He said to his reflection, cleaning the blood off of himself bit by using this pond's water. "I will not be like my father. I will kill him for the sole purpose of freeing the people." Standing back up, he still had the Velociprey claw in hand. He walked over to the Aptonoth's corpse and began to cut out chunks of meat slowly.

"...your death will not be in vain. I promise." He muttered to it, until his claw broke in half. It snapped into multiple pieces, so he couldn't even use it anymore. Taking the few pieces of raw meat in his arms, he walked away from the scene that brought him from his daze to survive.

 _I lost sight of my humanity so quickly..._

 _From this day forth, I will kill only with a reason. Whether it's to survive by killing prey, or as self-defense._

 _Whatever the creature. I want to meet the world, and not by cutting it open._

 _Maybe... I could pass this on to others. We could all meet the creatures of the world with a smile and a friendly greeting._

* * *

Forget and forgive, I like to say. While some things are as easy as that to shrug off, I wouldn't say a little persuasion is enough to erase the horrible things Kenneth knows about his father.

So! That was the reworked chapter. Anyone who might've read the original, send a review my way, please! I like to hear how I've gotten better- or how I've become worse.

 **Ore Ex Machina though.**

What'd you say? It's time for another chapter?!

-SabreKnightNA


	5. Chapter 4

Ahem, you're probably wondering why this chapter is so short in terms of time. Ah, it's because a few reasons.

...mostly me being REALLY lazy and "not in the mood to write at the moment." That's the only reason you need, right? Well, news flash for ya'll: This chapter was supposed to be done a month ago, and I slacked off. WHOOPS.

Let this be a lesson to me to not hold off on any kind of writing!

Anyway, this will be the last chapter I write for the year. I'll be back in January, no worries.

* * *

One week later, a little after noon.

Still lost in the forests of the Verdant Hills, Kenneth continued to wander in search of shelter and supplies. Now wearing a bone waistband to carry more pouches that he made, held up by a belt also crafted by him. Both of which were made with Kelbi hide. At the moment, he was doing recap in his head at the moment while wandering around again.

 _I've managed to survive the past week. With food somewhat plentiful, slow progress on the equipment, few predator encounters, luckily. Not sure how the following week will come, since I'm all alone-_

"Urrgghhh." He audibly groaned. "I can't stand being alone!" Kenneth cried out, but he covered his mouth when he realized what he was doing.

 _Yeah, I've got to find a way to get over this whole "alone" thing. This isn't going to merge well with survival._

Getting ready to gather supplies, he checked his surroundings again. More trees, typical, but then... nothing? Open sky to more forest below. It was most definitely a cliff.

 _I heard rumors that some cliffs in the Verdant Hills had ore along them... but should I risk it? I would be terribly exposed, while on the other hand I could get some valuable ore that I desperately need for equipment._

He got down on his hands and knees and began to slowly approach the edge of the cliff. He also listened intently for anything that might want to bump him down the cliff. He peeked down the cliff; a daunting height! Kenneth took a deep breath to calm his nerves, and looked hard for ore. There was nothing to stand on... it was a REALLY steep cliff. The fall itself looked to be almost enough to kill a person the moment they hit the ground. He anxiously crawled back away from the cliff. He rubbed his forehead; he was sweaty. _Was I really that scared? It was... just a cliff. But... Since when were there valleys as deep as this?_

He got up and ran from that cliff. If anything were to catch him out there, it would probably knock him off the cliff unless it were looking to eat him. After being about a minute away from it, he slowed down to take another break.

 _No ores in sight, just DEATH. I don't think so._

It was clear enough. He'd found he was afraid of heights. Very afraid. However, something distracted him from that moment of sheer terror; of all things... it was hunger. Kenneth opened a pouch, revealing one last piece of fresh meat. A small piece, admittedly, but it was food and it would work for the moment. Breaking sticks from nearby trees, he went through the usual fire starting process. Step one, make sure area is safe. Nearby grass isn't moist? Well, at least it ain't dry. Step two, pile sticks. Step three, add kindling. (He used grass.) Step four, strike stones together to make sparks. Watch the fire flare up... Step five, blow gently to add oxygen. Step six, admire your work.

Now nearby, a live fire. One that would keep him warm and let him cook his delicious piece of meat. He took the raw piece and speared it on a leftover stick. There was a little tune that all hunters were taught to think of unconsciously when they cooked that would ALWAYS give them the best results.

...but for the life of him he couldn't remember the tune, so when he started to cook, he felt odd. With no goal, he twisted and twisted, heating the meat up. Nothing seemed to jolt his memory. Instead of pondering, he watched it very closely to make sure he got it cooked. He aimlessly spun it, spaced out, and oddly enough, it was as easy as that. He pulled it off at what seemed to be the perfect moment, without even trying.

 _Huh. I guess the training DOES stick with you. I expected to burn that, since I wasn't paying attention!_ Kenneth thought cheerfully, cutting a piece off to make sure it was done. He inspected it, and it was perfectly cooked! No pink, no burnt or charred spots, just perfect. L _ike always? How is that possible?_

He took the piece he cut from the meat and ate it. Tasted great, a textbook Well-Done Aptonoth steak. It was so quiet and peaceful, he thought he'd take his time and enjoy it this time. Savoring every juicy bite, he didn't know when he'd get another chance with something like this for a while.

 _It's times like these that remind me too much of my peaceful days. I need to forget them. They won't better me._ He thought bitterly. _...but it doesn't hurt to think about the good times in my life._

* * *

After his steak break, he was heading back where he came from. Towards the Rath territory, where he had that close encounter with that Rathian. He didn't retrace his steps, only because he moved in a curved manner through the woods. By going straight, there was the danger of the unknown, but a good chance for discovering something great... in his mind.

He was feeling confident, aware, and even happy right now. His spirits were high, and his fear was hidden, but he was still being a bit cautious by walking instead of running. You'd only do so if you have a death wish. Since in this forest, everything perceives you as a threat if you're running.

 _Except Kelbi. Those weird things never seem to run unless you were screaming at them. They also didn't seem to care that Hunters sometimes carved things off their bodies. There were rumors that Kelbi possessed some kind of hyper-regeneration due to all the Hunters that carved them in the early years of Monster Hunting._ _Wouldn't that be great, being able to get lost limbs back just the next day?_ He was nonchalant. No worries at all, casually strolling through the forest. Aside from his hidden sense of awareness, he was actually enjoying walking through the thicket.

...with no one to share the joy with. Loneliness reared its' ugly head again, but this time he discarded the feeling as pointless to keep thinking about. "Nah," Kenneth said, and he just kept walking. He was focused and ready, and did he mention happy?

Steel. He heard something like a _shween_ sound. Like a weapon being taken out of its' sheathe. _Crud._ He crouched and hid in a bush, under the extra cover of all the other plant life around.

 _That's the only thing that could dampen my day..._ Kenneth peeked out in various places, nothing at the moment, which worried him. The only thing that would make it worse is if it was a Bounty Hunter. They were excellent at taking out Rogue Hunters, since getting paid was basically the only thing that drove them. Money wasn't a worry out here; just your life mattered. Not to them though. Every Bounty Hunter he'd every met had been driven by vengeance or money.

The cry of an Aptonoth almost made him jump after that moment of odd silence, and while it could have been anything at all, that unsheathing sound still lingered in his thoughts. Proving his beliefs of a nearby person, moments later, a male Guild Knight sprung into sight! Fleeing from a Velocidrome, he must have been fighting it for a bit, as he looked wounded with scratches on his chest. Whereas the Velocidrome looked almost unharmed. Kenneth saw his weapons; they were Sworn Rapiers! The first Rapier's blade shone a deep blue hue, cool and deadly. The other one was less like a Rapier and more like a regular sword. Its' blade glowed turquoise, and together they were a pair of intimidating weapons. It was unlikely, but if he died, then those weapons would eliminate the need for any kind of crafting. They were versatile and powerful, unmatched in sharpness to all weapons, except the legendary ones crafted from the pieces of Elder Dragons themselves.

The Guild Knight was ready to stand and fight, so Kenneth watched intently. Even though it was just a Velocidrome, it looked stronger than an average one with its' larger crest, longer claws, and sharper teeth. Perhaps it was High-Rank, and this was a man who took his place in the ranks of the Guild Knights? _Oh, how fortunate it would be if he died._

The Velocidrome started the fight up by lunging at him with its' large claws on its' feet. That was one of it's most dangerous attacks. Not only would those claws rend flesh, most Hunters couldn't sustain the force it pounded them with, so they usually got knocked to the ground. This Guild Knight dashed to the side, the Velocidrome's claws just brushing past his face. He did a rapid 180 degree turn to face it, and did his lunge with his Dual Blades, blades pointing forward. At the end of his lunge, he slashed his blades outward, however they did not quite meet the Velocidrome... After the unsuccessful dash attack, he then switched his blades around, and they were facing backward. _There it is, the Demon mode technique._ Kenneth observed. _I'd always wanted to give the Dual Blades a shot. They look so cool in action. Maybe they don't seem so practical, but hey. Who doesn't like to be a show-off every now and then?_

During his pondering of Demon mode, the Guild Knight started swinging repeatedly on the Velocidrome's tail, causing blood to spurt out and small gashes to appear. It looked more like flailing than anything. The Sworn Rapiers would absolutely rend any skin or bone they came across, they were a force to be reckoned with. It didn't seem to mind, because it turned around and dashed at him, jaws opened and about snap on him. The Knight, with haste, sheathed his weapons, rolled under the Velocidrome, and grabbed its' torso. He tackled it to the ground with all his might, accompanied by some sort of aggressive battle cry. After it was lying on the ground, he got his Dual Blades out again and starting jabbing its' hide, alternating which blade he was using each strike and attacking faster as he went. It lashed out with its' claws and cut part of his arm, causing him to promptly stagger backward and grunt. "Damn! I'll kill you!" He cried out angrily. The Velocidrome was back to its' feet again, and already the Knight was back at it. He hopped right onto its' back, and started to throttle it. This guy was no joke.

 _I pity the man that arm wrestles with him. Never have I seen such strength in a man. Admirable, but he would still be my enemy if I met him._ Kenneth thought in awe.

The Velocidrome quickly managed a muffled cry for help, and Velociprey promptly came out of the brush moments later. He drew his knife in case any curious Velociprey caught his sent and decided to investigate. _Ehhh, stay away from me._ He thought, shuffling anxiously in the bush.

Kenneth got back to watching the fight, since no Velociprey found him. The Guild Knight had just been bucked off of the Velocidrome, and it was not happy at all. It tried another lunge, and as the Knight was recovering off the ground, it pinned him down with its' claws. This was it, there was no way out of it now. Velociprey swarmed, and only the man's screams could be heard from a brief moment as multiple pairs of teeth tore into him. Kenneth looked away long before they attacked, because it was not a sight that he wanted to remember. Yet, since he would take the Knight's equipment, he would remember the sounds...

The Velocidrome victoriously roared over the dead man's corpse, standing tall to show off. Blood spurted out all of a sudden, an old wound coming open on its' chest. _Could this be its' last fight?_ He wondered, but it limped away, still able to escape. So he guessed not. The Velociprey followed along, seeming desperate to protect their leader. Kenneth waited a minute in the bush, counting to sixty before running to steal from his corpse.

It was "disrespectful" to many. To him, it was making use of resources. First, he grabbed the hat. It was the same set he had before he ran away. The regular Guild Knight one. Not the exact same, but you know. He took all the equipment from bottom to top. All of it seemed quite new, aside from the fresh blood, rips, and tears in it. Within a minute, he'd changed into a slightly over-sized set, but it was protection nonetheless. When the time came to put the hat on, he was feeling like a Monster Hunter again. Finally, he retrieved the Sworn Rapiers that laid on the ground. He stood tall and straight, and swung the blades around to get a feel for them.

"...I'm back." He said quietly. "And better than ever." After he got that off his chest, he checked inventory. This Hunter WAS experienced! He had all the essentials. Potions and Mega Potions, extra materials to make more Potions and Mega Potions, and of course the Combo Guides. Those books were useful at times, but most people committed their contents to memory. Everything you'd need to be a Monster Hunter was here. The corpse of the Guild Knight only remained in his undergarments, revealing many of the gruesome spots that his skin had been tore right open. He ignored the corpse and posed looking away from it, flexing his arms and admiring the set. "Hell yeah," Kenneth said happily, imagining himself in action. "This'll get me back on my feet in no time." With that, he pushed toward the Rath territory once more, with full confidence this time.

* * *

About an hour later, he found himself seeing familiar territory. If he remember correctly, he wasn't too far from the the territory any more. Berries, seeds, and herbivores were becoming more commonplace as he got closer. There was a stream that ran nearby, that he deduced to run all the way down to the hunting area's miniature waterfall. The fishing area. Ah, he remembered it.

He followed it upstream, as it eventually led to a large watering hole that was very close to the Rath territory. Why was he going TOWARD the Rath territory? Overconfidence. After that single lucky encounter, getting all that stuff from the Guild Knight, he had been overconfident. It had played to his advantage so far, but overconfidence leads to terrible situations.

Kenneth walked along, whistling happily. He was so happy, in fact, that he threw a small piece of raw meat leftover in the Guild Knight's pouch to a little Jaggi, just so he didn't ruin his mood by killing it. That only contributed to making him happier, because to him, the Jaggi seemed so happy when it got the free food.

"Ain't nothing gonna ruin this day for me. Less of course, I was to get eaten!" He said, feeling so great that he cracked a joke. He was so happy in fact, he had been ignoring a quiet cry in the distance. After a minute, it was so close that he couldn't ignore it, he had to see what it was. It didn't sound like an in-peril cry, an angry roar, or even a fearful one. It sounded weak and difficult to muster. Slowly, he approached the sound. It sounded like a bird wyvern, and a young one. It wasn't the guttural cry of a Velociprey or 'Drome, and it wasn't the high-pitched, happy sounding cries of a Jaggi. He pushed past multiple trees, stumbled through a bush, and rolled right in front of beak of a Yian Kut-Ku!

However, it was nowhere near even good condition. It laid wounded and tired, crying for help. Its' wings were sliced up badly, tail nearly severed, and it's ears had been broken. This poor thing looked so young... but these were all signs towards a Hunter attacking it, with the slash marks and specific parts broken. They weren't supposed to kill juveniles, unless they were causing trouble for a village. This one was far too deep into the forest for them to have repelled it from the village.

 _All the wounds look fresh. It must be hiding from a group of Hunters. It's all alone now, no one to save it. Left to die, or to be found and preyed upon._ He thought, staring at the doomed Kut-Ku. _Unless, unlike them, I will..._ Kenneth ran towards it, but not because he wanted to finish it off for himself...

...but because his loneliness was unbearable at this point, and he was desperate for a friend. Even it was just a small chance, he wanted so badly for a friend that he was willing to try and befriend this Kut-Ku by healing it. Pulling one of his Potions from his pouch, he twisted the cap open and moved close to the Kut-Ku's mouth.

"Come on, please. I'm trying to help you." He pleaded with it, now gently tugging on its' beak trying to get it to open. It was too weak to fight back, and it was very fearful. He kept a straight face, not smiling or staring at it sternly, to hopefully calm it to a degree. The Kut-Ku roared very weakly, it only had the strength to screech and cry out right now. With that in mind, he slowly poured some of the Potion down its' throat while it roared at him, half-expecting to get the green liquid spat back onto his face. Surprisingly enough, it gulped all of it down. That was enough of a sign, for him, that it wanted to live.

"That's good, come on now... Drink up, you'll feel better." He said quietly, trying to calm it down. He offered more of the Potion to it, but this time it refused. Staying silent and keeping its' mouth shut, it was already proving to be a stubborn Kut-Ku.

 _Well, I didn't expect this to be easy. Maybe it will drink more of the Potion once it starts to take effect._ He thought, checking the designated medicine pouch. All the cloths were bloodied up, or just generally unusable because they were ripped in multiple places. _That Knight liked to live on the edge, alright._

He looked around for something that would absorb blood at the very least. _Leaves, perhaps?_ He wondered, there were plenty of trees. They were absolutely everywhere! Moving over to a nearby tree and grabbing onto one of its' branches, he heaved himself up with little effort, getting him up onto the top of the tree with all the little green leaves. One by one, Kenneth started to pluck the leaves off of the tree. It hadn't rained recently, so they were dry. He kept gathering leaves until he had about three dozen; possibly enough to wipe away the fresh blood that leaked from the Kut-Ku's wounds.

Determined to help this Yian Kut-Ku out, he walked back over to it with the leaves in his arms. It was still too soon to tell if the Potion had started to help it, as it still flinched and cringed occasionally, as if it was still in pain. He set the leaves down and admired the Kut-Ku in all of its' beauty, even if some people called them ugly, they were kinda cute.

 _I've never realized just how magnificent these creatures are... I only admired them for their strength for the most part, but they're so pretty. The one thing that people don't admire about them is their beauty._ He petted the Kut-Ku's head briefly. Kenneth didn't want to upset it, but he still preferred it to be calm while he helped it out. He hoped occasionally petting it would keep it calm. Picking a leaf up, he moved to its' back first. Someone had clearly mounted it once or twice, as there were numerous stab marks in practically the same place. He poured some of a Potion onto his leaf, and pressed down lightly with the leaf to wipe away the blood. The wound was getting cleaner, but it was pretty gradual since he was using a leaf instead of a cloth.

Over the course of three minutes, he continued to wipe the wound clean. It was repetitive and a little boring, but he stayed motivated, as he was helping something live. That was all the inspiration he needed. He went through about six leaves and the rest of the Potion that he gave to the Kut-Ku.

 _This will definitely be awhile._ Kenneth thought, looking at the Yian Kut-Ku's face again. There was much still left to be done. He hadn't noticed it at first, but it was still awake, and it was staring at him as he worked. "I don't expect thanks from you. I never expect to be thanked by anyone. The least I want you to do is let me help you." He said to it. No reply at all, not even a glare or a yelp.

 _Yep. That's what I've learned to expect. You're crazy, Kenneth, wasting your provisions on a pitiful little Kut-Ku._ His thoughts conflicted for a moment, leaving him to almost abandon his task of healing the weak little Bird Wyvern. _That's because the poor need me, that's what. Even if it is a Monster, those who cannot fight for themselves deserve my help. As long as they mean me no harm._

Getting refocused and back to work, he pulled out his medicinal big guns; a Mega Potion. Popping the cap off the Mega Potion... He hesitated, unsure if he should go through with it. These were valuable to him and essential to his survival. Although he could always make another... "Please understand what I'm trying to do for you." Kenneth said, approaching its' head again. He showed the Kut-Ku the Potion, hoping it'd understand.

 _Hope. That's all you can ever do when you're powerless._ He thought. It opened its' mouth; so far so good. He began to slowly pour the Mega Potion. No changes, the green liquid poured into the Kut-Ku's mouth, and before long, all of the Mega Potion was gone. Just like that. Afterward, the Yian Kut-Ku then fell asleep after chugging down his Mega Potion, curling up and relaxing easily.

 _How... how can it sleep with me here?_ Kenneth thought to himself, surprised that it seemed comfortable enough to stop watching him. _Does it really... truly trust me?_

It didn't matter if it really did. He would hope that it was true, and that he would have a wonderful companion at his side. But at the same time, he knew that it would never happen. How unlikely is it that a Monster would trust a Human after being attacked by four of them, even if he DID help it survive and recover?

 _Not likely. Not likely at all._ However, he shrugged the negative thoughts off, and rode on his hopes. _Doubting myself like this will lead to nothing. I BELIEVE it trusts me!_

And on that thought, he drew his Sword Rapiers and stood ready to protect the Kut-Ku from any harm while it slept. Never had he dreamed that he would be protecting a Monster in all of his life. Not after what he'd done over the course of his young life. He was wary and watchful on the outside, but distracted and indecisive on the inside.

 _There it is again. That damn feeling..._

 _Have I TRULY made the right choice? Breaking every rule I've been taught over my whole life?_

 _No. Eyes on the prize, Kenneth. You know what they've done is terrible, and they will pay dearly for all the innocent lives that have been taken._

 _...I just hope I won't be alone to do it all._

* * *

The sun had only just set a little while ago, and the Yian Kut-Ku had woken up. It saw that Kenneth was still standing watch for it. He looked back over to it to find out for himself that it had woken up, smiling as it stared at him.

"Rested up?" He asked it with a joyful tune. No reply once again, it just watched him stand there. "Mmm. Really." He said, pretending to be intrigued. Beginning to move over to the Kut-Ku, Kenneth was wondering if it was up to standing. After all, they couldn't stay here all this time.

 _They? There might be no they-_ He started to think, then cutting off his train of thought. _I won't get anywhere with that attitude!_

"You think you're ready to try standing?" He asked, now standing by the Bird Wyvern."Like... up on your feet, up and at 'em, up up and away... that kind of thing?" Kenneth rambled, petting the Kut-Ku on the head again. Sometimes he swore that it was smiling, but maybe it was the way its' beak was shaped. The latter seemed more likely, but he liked to believe the former.

The Kut-Ku's stomach audibly growled for a short bit. It was the loudest stomach growl he'd ever heard; about three times as loud when a person was even a little hungry. He hopped back- it startled him!

"Yikes, you must be real hungry, huh? Maybe it's just me." He asked it, quickly searching his memories for what a Kut-Ku would eat. "How's a nice batch of Konchu sound? I hear you guys like 'em live and in a ball." Kenneth said cheerfully. He really was trying his best to convey to the Kut-Ku that he cared. He still couldn't tell if he was getting through to it, either. Regardless, maybe it could understand if he fed it. Putting that next on his checklist, he tried to think of where a Konchu would hide.

 _They dwell mostly around mountains, caves, and small underground caves. That's about it._ He looked all around the immediate area, and only realized he'd passed a cave somewhere on his way here. _That's too far. It could have been killed by the time I get back. What about..._

Suddenly, Kenneth dove to the ground and started crawling along with his ear against the earth. "Come you silly balls, I know you're hiding." He said aloud. It was one of the weirdest things he'd ever said. Konchu sometimes responded to people being loud. "Don't you~ like it when I sing~?" He obnoxiously sung. "Pop out of that stuff you're hiding in, yes the earth. That stuff." He crawled in circles, muttering weird and random things trying to get a Konchu to pop over the course of the next ten minutes.

Then he heard a _huff-huff-huff-huff_ , that almost sounded like someone was laughing at him! His head perked up, looking around. "Haaay!" Kenneth yelled, standing up. He didn't see no one. Suddenly, the world fell from under him! Or was it the other way around? Anyway, he found himself falling on his back, to see that a Konchu that had knocked him over. The huffing laughter came back, and he looked around while still on the ground, to find that the Kut-Ku was LAUGHING at him!

 _Maybe I should have seen this coming. It is a little child Kut-Ku._ He thought, smiling at it. It didn't care if Kenneth saw it laughing; he was funny to watch. Most importantly, he caught the attention of a Konchu.

"Well why don't you get over here and get this dang Konchu?" He asked, standing up and glaring at it. It tilted its' head in reply, and he imagined it to say, _Oh no, I'm supposed to be resting._

"Fine, if that's how it is." He said sarcastically, before diving blindly for the Konchu. It rolled under him by complete coincidence. The huffing came again. "If I get the chance, I am so kicking you, you living ball!" Kenneth ran towards it, the Konchu coming out of its' ball only to see two pairs of feet running towards it. It made the trademark clicking sound it made every now and then, and curled up in defense. Kenneth reared up as if he was playing a game. His foot slammed the Konchu, sending it flying into a tree. "OW! Fuck, that hurt! What was I thinking you absolute dork..." He cried out in pain, falling to the ground and holding his foot. "Ah-how." He huffed.

Wait. The Konchu fell on its' back when it hit the tree, wiggling and wiggling hopelessly! "Yes! Gotcha! I caught..." He hopped on one foot toward the Konchu while still saying "ow," and picked it up. "...my first Konchu! Ta-da!" Kenneth showed it to the Kut-Ku, and when it saw the Konchu, ooh. It got excited, stood up and starting walking toward him.

"That's it, c'mere." He said quietly. They slowly came closer to each other. However, just before Kenneth got in arm's reach of it, it stopped. He raised an eyebrow, then raised the Konchu to see if it would take it. It moved its' head, waiting for him to do something. The Kut-Ku wouldn't move to retrieve the Konchu? Why? They loved Konchu! He lowered the Konchu, wondering why the Kut-Ku wasn't taking it, only for the Kut-Ku's head to follow it.

 _Does he want me to throw it? That's the weirdest thing ever, but..._ His thoughts transitioned into speech, "Okay, here you go!" He said, tossing it in the air with no target. It was a decent throw, flying a good ten feet in the air. It moved a bit to left side of the Kut-Ku, so it adjusted a step to the side and snap! It caught it right in its' mouth. Briefly afterward, the Kut-Ku swallowed it and seemed to have that smile on its' beak again. "You're awful talented, aren't you? It almost seems like-" He interrupted his own talking, as when he went to pet it, he noticed a scarf on its' neck. "Are you already tame? No way... That would explain why you're so calm around me. Well, I hope you're happy, and if you truly do have a person that loves you, I think you should return home." He said considerately.

Then it nudged him and just ran off. Without anything else at all.

 _Was it something I said? That's it?_ He thought, the precious moment he had with the Kut-Ku gone within seconds. "I didn't even get to know your name!" He called out to it. Kenneth sighed deeply. "I'm all alone, there's no one here beside me. My problems have all gone, there's no one here deride~ me. But you gotta have friends-" Interrupted again, his loud singing got him snatched up in the talons of a Rathalos. Soon, he found the ground getting very far away, very fast.

 _Well, looks like my overconfidence and stupidity have finally caught up to me. Damn it all! I should have realized what was going on since I decided to go to the Rath territory. Overconfidence clouded my vision, and that leads to death. What should come to me, I deserve._ He had accepted he was done for. As there were very few tales of one surviving being taken to a nest. Especially if there were children.

 _We have a wonderful dinner invitation that we are DYING to give you today. You'll be happy to know that everything that we'll be serving will be familiar to you in every way._ Even close to death, he couldn't help but think of the other ways he could go. He could always cut himself loose from the talons of the Rathalos, and let himself bleed out if the fall itself didn't kill him. Gruesome, although better than being devoured by the children of wyverns. _I_ _could get accidentally poisoned and die before it even gets to the nest. That way I wouldn't have to feel getting eaten! Hell, maybe I could plead for them to kill me first! Wouldn't that be nice?! Gee, it'd be so great I'd gladly let them eat me afterward anyway, but what would it matter if I was dead already? I'd have no choice in the matter anyway!_

He soon found himself letting loose tears. Knowing that your life could end at any moment had caused his mind to go into disarray and sorrow. "DAMN IT ALL!" Was all he could muster. From a moment of great joy and a groundbreaking friendship, to finding that it was something not so groundbreaking and actually done before, to his life being ended. All within five minutes. Splendid.

In the dark of the night, he couldn't tell where anything was. His life literally hung in the balance of this Rathalos' talons. Soon, he jerked, grunting in response. He got a quick view of the area. It was truly the nest and they had landed. He got moved against a hard rock wall, two claws pinning him against it, and one to his throat. He closed his eyes, all his childhood memories giving him a moment of brief happiness. He was ready.

"Do it if you're going to. I'm ready." He said quietly.

 _At peace. Silence. Everything resolved. It has been a wonderful life-_

"...wow, are you really that pitiful? I've seen worse, but every Guild Knight other than the cowards, tried to fight to the end. So why aren't you?" A female voice rang. His eyes shot open. _The Rathalos is still here. Where is this voice coming from? Is this my conscience?_

"Seriously, are you deaf?" The voice said, clearly confused. "You're leaving me hanging here, come on. Give me something." She walked in sight, bearing a set of Alloy armor. "Say something within the next ten seconds or you're gonna die. I ain't kidding, clock's ticking now." She impatiently rung. _Say something! Anything! A word, even something unintelligible, muster something!_

"Please tell me what the hell is going on." He asked politely, with the hell in there for a little extra urgency. She laughed loud for a few seconds. "You, the one pinned against the wall, life on the line, ask what the heck is going on? You should have asked yourself that question before you joined the Guild Knights." She nonchalantly said. "I'm not one of them." He immediately replied, he had to keep this conversation going for the life of him. "Then prove it. Tear those stupid fancy sleeves off and do away with that damn hat."

Before he asked how he would do that, he realized his arms were free the whole time. In all the panic, he hadn't even thought about it. He immediately tore off his left sleeve with his right hand, and then the opposite within a few seconds. He flicked his head violently to the side and the hat flew off. "There," Kenneth said anxiously. "Happy...?" She nodded in reply. However, she hesitated. Her stance seemed like she was hiding something, with her legs close together and her arms behind her back. "Let him loose, Dad." She said with a sigh.

" **SAY WHAT?** " He yelled in shock.

* * *

Feel free to imagine the forest getting set on fire because I didn't write "Kenneth put out the fire," or something along the lines of that.

Let's get serious. That life or death situation probably didn't shock you since he's the main character and he needs to live for the story, but next chapter I shall introduce to you the wonders of Half-Bloods! Woo hoo, complicated bullshit time!

Aside from that, I hope everyone has a happy holiday season. I'll see you next year!

...and don't dwell on that cliffhanger too much, okay?

-SabreKnightNA


	6. Chapter 5

Well, the plans for the new year chapter are spoiled. I hit quite a bit of a writer's block. I have the later parts of the story already planned out, but right now? I thought about the starting, the middle part, and the ending. Not the gaps in between those sections. Add that onto infrequent chances to write, and you have a recipe that leads up to multiple month chapter waits. Hopefully the winds of change will come my way!

Just before we start though, I'd like to say... I'm EXTREMELY sorry for the long wait. I would have been glad to have gotten this out sooner for everyone to read.

...seriously, no kidding. I intended this to be out by the end of January, not the end of February.

This is an immediate continuation off the previous chapter.

* * *

"You mean to tell me that the Rathalos that could end my life at any moment is truly a man with a wife that loves him dearly? That crap only exists in tales of fiction- Man cannot mate with other creatures!" Kenneth shouted harshly, only to find a claw being pushed slightly into his throat. Not enough to pierce his skin, but enough to make him gag.

"Be honest with me, are you really that daft?" The woman asked, approaching Kenneth slowly. "Have you never suspected a single bit of treachery, even a little bit of it, in the Human bloodline? Did you never suspect that we've never been 'pure' from the start?" She asked, her tone keeping serious as if she was interrogating him.

"Are you trying to tell me that this whole time... the peace between man and beast, true and absolute harmony, actually existed?" His tone seemed gentle and understanding, but then changed into a tone that was harsh and quite aggressive. "Because if that's what you're implying, then that would be absolutely ridiculous!" He countered, still under shock from the earlier revelation.

 _How in all the world could such a thing exist? A cross-breed of human and monster? Maybe, just maybe I can get something out of her. Especially if she is what she says she is, then maybe she'll open up to prove it if I purposely deny it..._ He thought, before he snapped out at the woman again. "If he's truly your father, what proof do you have? Are you not just following him with that belief? A suggestion from your supposed mother that is gone for whatever reason? Taming a creature is one thing- but to love one and have it love you back without any sort of manipulation? In all the world and all the stars above, what could possibly cause that to happen?!" He tried his best to make it seem that he would never ever believe her, end of story.

She scoffed. "How- Just how- How how." Stuttering, it seemed that he'd hit a nerve. She crossed her arms and turned her back- wait, TAIL? Turned tail? She had a tail with spikes and green scales... It was a Rathian's tail!

"So it is true, then." Kenneth said in disbelief. "You knew I was probing for answers. You made it easy and got it over with." He shook his head, and laughed heartily. "Who's the real fool, the one who played the fool or has been fooled?"

She didn't respond in any way. Clearly her pride had been wounded.

"Look, I'm honestly sorry. It's not an easy thing for me to understand... so... I just wanted to make sure what you said was true." His voice became quiet and sympathetic. "Your culture is obviously far beyond something a simple-minded man like me can understand. And if makes it any better at all... I'd love to know more."

The woman finally turned back to look at his face. Her expression showed she was still upset, annoyed, and insulted.

"I should have been respectful toward what might have been, but that's done now. I know now the meaning of an old saying... 'Everything is sacred, be it the smallest hermitaur or largest wyvern.' I can't just run around and call things you know as normal as 'not meant to be.'" He let out a deep sigh and relaxed. "Hell, if it makes you feel any better just kill me now."

The Rathalos had a vicious, toothy grin, almost implying he'd take pleasure in doing so.

"...you're all too much like your mother. There's no way you can know her sayings, resemble her, and act like her so much like her... and still not be her child." She finally spoke up, looking up at the Rathalos. "You can let him go now. I'll handle it."

The Rathalos looked over at her as if to question her decision, and instead of releasing him, simply growled and looked intimidatingly back at Kenneth. Who was still tightly pinned against the cliff of stone in its' talons.

"He's my responsibility, I know. He could be lying." She said, her tone becoming more frustrated. "But you said you'd trust my judgement now... right?" Her voice became more joyful at the end, making it kind of convincing.

Finally, the Rathalos released Kenneth from the wall he was pinned against and flew off with a huff. He dropped to the ground and wiped sweat from his brow. When he stood up, he and the woman were face to face.

"You listen here-" They both said at the same time. "I've questions to ask-" They both said again, stuttering at the coincidence. Kenneth spoke up first, "You first, since I've already asked enough questions."

She immediately began with, "Why aren't you with your mother? She's an unbelievably kind person, and if you really don't like the Guild-"

"How the hell do you know my mother? How do you even know that she's even my-" Kenneth interrupted, only to be interrupted back.

"She's been here in the forest this whole time-" She said cheerfully.

"And I was never told about it I suppose-" He shrugged and asked, confused.

"No, of course not because she lives at the location of the secret rebellion!" She shouted, covering her mouth when she realized what she just said.

"Excuse me? Did you just say... _Rebellion?_ " Kenneth said, raising an eyebrow.

"What's your last name?" She asked, and he groaned. "What, _is_ it?"

"Schmidt." He muttered. She simply dismissed it with, "N _uh-uh."_ He put his hand on his forehead and shouted, "Kazamure! If I resemble my mother so much, how would you not know that?"

"Because I only know her as my leader and friend. If she didn't want to tell me her last name, she wouldn't have to." She dismissed, seeming to put her faith quite deeply in Kenneth's so-called mother.

"Then you're not going to question as to why the Guild and this rebellion are fighting and who are leading each of them?" He asked, getting ready to drop the surprise.

"No, is it really that important? The Guild has been treating its' lower class residents inhumanely for quite some time, and it **must** stop now!" She yelled with an intimidating air to her. She had quite the commanding voice when she actually used it.

"I don't know if it's true or not, but it seems to be a family feud." Kenneth said casually. She looked at him, extremely confused. "Oh, do you not know? My father, Edward, commands the Guild. He was a decent man and he loved me, it's just... he's doing terrible things like you said. Beyond even what I'd ever imagine he'd do." Kenneth shivered to think what he might be doing now. A single tear appeared on his cheek. He loved his father just as he loved him, but it isn't every day you find out he's a treacherous asshole.

"My goodness, that's terrible." She coldly dismissed, seemingly without a second thought.

 _Yep, I deserved that one, after all, I did insult **her** father._ He thought, before wondering just where that base she mentioned was. "Would you be willing to take me to the base? I would love to meet her, and assist in the very rebellion she is working on." He asked, his tone neutral along with his expression. He tried to be polite enough so she'd actually show him.

"You know what? Fine." She said. "If you are a spy, we'll kill you on the spot anyway. No harm done to us, in that manner." She ended that sentence with a fake menacing laugh. "If you go back, you'll be marked as a deserter anyway!"

"Say, if I'm going to be with you guys now-" Kenneth tried to start up again, before being interrupted by the woman again.

"Who said they'd accept you in without a doubt?" She asked him, her tone returning to a serious manner.

"It's my mother, surely she wouldn't turn away her own son?" He wondered aloud, would she? He didn't know her at all. Suddenly he became extremely nervous.

"I can bet she'll test you. This rebellion can't survive on people who can't sustain themselves. If you can't carry your own weight in combat, you'll just be left at base to do the chores." She explained. It made Kenneth shake his head.

"I've been in these woods for... say, close to a week, maybe? I think I can survive quite well, and I can handle myself in a fight too." His tone made him sound as if he were bragging, and he got flicked in the side of the head for that.

"We don't like egos in the rebellion. Big-headed people get themselves killed too easily." She walked ahead, making sure he knew the way of the rebellion. Kenneth stuttered and finally mustered what he meant to ask.

"Say, what's your name?" He asked politely with a simple smile, he scratched his head before clarifying with, "If I'm going to be working with you, it's only right for me to know your name, right?"

She chucked lightly, looking back at him. Kenneth was quite insistent on joining the rebellion, so she decided to let him know. "Call me Sarah. Since I was born under a Rathalos and raised under one, I don't really have a last name. If anyone ever asked, father just said use to 'Hart' because it was the first thing that came to mind at the time. No idea why." She explained, realizing that it'd only be polite to outstretch her hand, she did it awfully quick and almost slapped Kenneth's chest. He took her hand and shook it with an awkward smile on his face. Neither of them knew much about being social, it seemed.

"I'm Kenneth, Kenneth Kazamure. It's nice to meet you, Sarah, and I hope to work with you in the days to come." He happily stated. Inside, he hoped he could trust this new person, regardless of her so-called 'traitorous' lineage. "So, shall we get a move on to this base?" He asked anxiously. She shrugged and gestured for him to follow her.

"Why not? Nothing to lose, right?" Sarah said nonchalantly.

The two casually prodded the other's past, neither judging their stories and past actions. Kenneth lived more of a luxurious life with simplistic work. While simplistic, it was only the dirty work of the Guild, of which he didn't care to take part in. Sarah spent most her life learning important survival skills, as well as some of the history of days long past. While she learned how to survive effectively, she still stuck close to her father and killed any fool who tried to hunt him. Both were lonely lives that didn't involve many friends.

They walked along together while they talked about their pasts, time seeming to fly by like a shooting star.

 _My first ever friend, it seems! I can't believe it at all._

 _Father would never approved of this. He'd say it'd distract me from my grand purpose._

 _What could be more grand than learning the tales of others and helping ease their pain?_

 _Now I know why he was somewhat hated. Not because he was relentless in his ways..._

 _...but because he's a cold man to any outsiders. Colder than the icy breath of an Ukanlos._

 _What could have possibly happened to decline the existence of these innocent half-human, half-beast people?_

 _Not only was the story of Sarah's parents' meeting one of the more interesting tales I've heard, it was one of stunning truth._

 _"Being alone is a pain that burns more than any wound..._

...I _know that feeling all too well._

 _Perhaps one day, when my sword meets my father's throat, I'll know..._

* * *

Sarah soon found that Kenneth had an excellent sense of direction, due to the fact that he got them back on a path that she had marked herself with teeny little pebbles marked with a squished red berry on it.

She, however, had an odd method of keeping track of where they were going. They'd stopped at a birch tree they'd already circled twice, and for some reason Sarah wanted to circle it two more times.

"Now I'm not blaming you for the fact that you need to retrace your steps, but do we have to walk around this same tree four times just to follow that trail?" Kenneth asked, confused as to her methods.

"Don't question it. It's like lighting a fire and then remembering that you don't need it, so you put it out. Wait, no that's a terrible example for this situation. Uh..." Sarah was terrible with metaphors, as Kenneth could already tell.

"Come on, don't worry about it too much. It's just like tracing a previous line you drew on a piece of paper." He said politely, understanding that not everyone was the best at everything.

"What's a paper." She said dully, before Kenneth raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"You can't tell me you don't know what paper is." His eyebrow dropped and he just shrugged, chuckling before ending with, "Paper's useless anyway."

She continued walking around the tree, with Kenneth stepping away to let her circle. Sarah soon continued along the way they already came, toward a small clearing that had a wonderful view of the sun at the moment. He lifted a finger to try and say something, but he kept his mouth shut and simply followed along.

 _As long as she gets us to the camp soon, we should be fine. Otherwise..._ He stopped himself again. There was his nasty habit of thinking negative again. He was just gonna let her guide him for now on.

Well, that proved to be an issue...

As the sun had started to be covered by all the trees, not even visible from that clearing they were in before, it became clear that it was gonna take some time. Kenneth followed her without question. As long as it took, as long as he lived, he would find the rebellion with her guiding him.

"Now," Sarah started, "this is usually when the base will start a mostly concealed flame to cook any food they might have. I usually follow the smell at this point, since they boil water over a small flame. Just smell for something that smells reminiscent of soup or stew. Mmm." She happily explained, her stomach growled at the thought.

"Have a soft spot for something other than the common herbivore, then?" He jokingly prodded. She raised her arms high.

"Come on! You can't tell me you'd like to have such bland food for the rest of your life." Sarah suddenly chimed in. Kenneth whistled in awe.

"Out of all people, a carnivore wants more out of life than just meat. I'm shocked." His voice said, with sarcasm clear as day.

"You shouldn't be, that's a Zinogre's or a Lagiacrus' role. You should be scorched." Sarah said, staring at him with her eyes squinted.

"Yeah, well I'm sure your father wasn't far from doing that- Ai-yee." He stopped talked when he got the tip of a rapier poke his chest. Another young woman, who had a dagger in her left hand and the rapier that was to his chest in her other hand.

"A new prisoner, perhaps, Sarah?" The new mystery woman said, her face hidden under a leather cloak. She wore an Alloy set like Sarah, signifying a beginner, but the fact she was not wielding a Guild authorized weapon meant there was no way she wasn't a veteran or a foreigner.

"The exact opposite, Captain. The prodigal son arrives at last!" She loudly said, this earned a glare from Kenneth.

"Did you really just call me the 'prodigal son?!' That is flattering to say the least but it also makes me wonder." He quickly said, blinking rapidly at the two women. The mystery woman's mouth was visible, and it was wide open in shock.

"So you finally rebelled, then? You've abandoned your father's excuse for humanity's sake?" She asked, Sarah spoke up in his place.

"He wouldn't have abandoned the poofy hat and giant sleeves if so! Plus, my dad totally would have killed him. Absolutely, no doubt about it." Sarah said, clearly confident that it was who they were looking for.

"Leave it to our leader to judge. If you truly are the son that was raised under Edward, Rosa will be the one to judge that." The mystery woman said, getting behind Kenneth. "Walk on. Now." She said, putting the dagger close to his back. The blade was far enough away that he could stretch his back a little, but it was close enough that if he tried anything, she could end him in a moment. Kenneth obliged and simply walked, he might as well had been blindfolded, because all he saw was trees everywhere like always. As they walked, a couple branches slapped his face as he walked along, irritating him. Although what really irritated him is that it seemed like they were going nowhere. He couldn't look back to check if Sarah was still following him, either, and he was silenced by the woman every time he tried to speak up. Finally, he managed something after what seemed like numerous minutes of wandering. Suddenly, the smell of... Beef stew, it seemed, came along.

"Tell me, are you going to stab me in the back if I ask a question?" Kenneth asked, quite leisurely for a dagger at his back.

No response, so he assumed he could.

"Do I smell stew-" As his sentence came to a close, he got thrown into a camp to his surprise, where many people had gathered at a large cauldron, filled with a dark broth, various vegetables, and meat. A pot of beef stew. That's not what mattered though. He tumbled and grunted, staring up at the leader of these rebels themselves.

"So, you finally gave up on your foolish father..." A gentle voice spoke. Her features resembled much of his own, with beautiful blue eyes, the brown hair... It was obvious who this was, at this point.

"I-I don't..." Kenneth said, pushing back tears. More conflict arose in his heart. He didn't know to be sad that he never saw her face, or to be angry at his father for lying that she died, or to be relieved that it seemed that he was finally where he needed to be. For added shock, the mystery woman pulled down her hood, revealing the Kazamure trademark blue-eyes and brown hair.

"Hiya, brother." She said with a cheery smile, she looked even younger than him, yet had the voice of a young woman. He turned his head rapidly to look at her. Blinking a few moments to process all of this, he simply said, "Well then..."

 _My father is giving me more and more reasons for me to despise him._

 _It's like he WANTS people, including me, to do so!_

 _If only I, for the life of me, could understand what was going on in his head..._

 _Is it great conflict in his mind, like me? Perhaps he is driven by a simple manner of greed?_

 _...or was this all one elaborate plan?_

* * *

Not sure if you can count that as a cliffhanger, but okay.

This time I tried to capture great excitement in people, making them rush to say things they don't mean to. Like always, I hope I did my best at expressing that. In the future, I'll try my best to keep the chapters from taking a month to release. It's no more fun for you or me when a chapter sits around unfinished.

No, totally, the next chapter will take a year for only 1k words!

Come on, I'm just toying with ya! Next chapter!

-SabreKnightNA


	7. Chapter 6

I'm not dead! I'm here.

I know this chapter is basically six months late, I'm sorry. I rewrote many of the sections over and over again, to a ridiculous extent.

I should mention the problem with me and writing after some time as well...  
Huh? Oh, if you didn't read my original story you wouldn't know.

This happened around the same time as last time. It starts to get some people who like it, I'm getting excited, the story's progressing... but then suddenly, I lose the urge to write, for no reason!  
My guess? I haven't had much of a... 'responsibility' before, so I procrastinate. I so badly want to finish this story, so I will try to beat my procrastination!

Also, this seems to have fell out of the supposed "dark" category I wanted. Wow, I am no good with following through.

Enjoy! Tell me if I overthought the chapter, because I think I did.

* * *

Kenneth awoke in a tent, laying in his very own bed. It was a somewhat comfortable little thing that was lifted off the ground a bit, with a makeshift mattress made by stuffing a large rag full of hay. It was his very own because he had been given the rag along with the hay to stuff it himself. While doing so was quite tedious, it was honest work and he was happy about that. Last night he had been taken in by this band of rebels, of which was commanded by his so-called dead mother. Unbelievable was an understatement to his initial shock.

 _I don't mind this style of living at all. It's much better than being handed almost anything I wanted._

 _There are a few things mother said I should do today. What were they...  
Wait a minute, I have a note right here in my pocket._

 _She must have written this so I wouldn't forget. Just met me and she knows I have terrible memory!_

 _"Getting to know your comrades is very important, tight bonds and co-ordination wins the day.  
Then you must learn the nature of the Half-Bloods from a lesson, taught by your friend Sarah.  
_ _Finally, you will get briefed and equipped for the mission that we will all embark on."_

 _I can barely contain my excitement! This rebellion existed without my knowledge, and now I am joined with it!  
What better coincidence could there be?  
I'd rather not delve into that. I could sit in bed all day thinking of what could be, planning for what's to come and all that nonsense. _

_Instead, I'm going to take life by the Diablos horns!_

Too excited to wait very long, Kenneth stood up and went to put on the Guild Knight set he'd taken fresh off a corpse, since he left all of his own armor behind. He walked over to a chest that sat in his room and retrieved the armor set. He had no casual clothes, and the ones he left behind were formal, so he had no reason to grab any of those clothes.

"Forget that stuff." Kenneth said to himself, as he put the Guild Knight trousers on. "Anything to get me away from the ways of 'upper society.'" He said, scoffing at the thought of returning to his old life. Never again would he have to go to some stupid party or gathering that was just people sitting around and talking for hours on end. Most the subjects were about money and resources anyway...

Now he knew it was time to make his mark and live life in his own way. Getting his Guild Knight boots on and then the armor itself, he was ready to go.

 _Almost. You forgot the gloves, you goof._ Kenneth thought to himself, then grabbing the gloves as he was about leave the tent. He looked back at his new weapons, the Sworn Rapiers.

...did he really need them today? It seemed like it would be a rather peaceful day. Which was odd, because he had always put his weapon on in the morning. Maybe it was some manner of confidence? Perhaps, but making a habit of not putting the weapons on would be bad. He slipped the gloves on one after the other quickly, not bothering to put them on neatly. Pushing the cloth that replaced a door out of his way, he stepped out of the tent.

Upon exiting, the sun gave him a warm welcome by blinding him for a second, before the small encampment that was the rebellion's headquarters could be seen. He currently looked at the other nearby tents, wondering how many these rebels had. There were about six rows and six columns of them, the tents placed almost right against each other. As for his spot, he was in the second row, third column. Thirty-six tents, each about the size of a tiny home. Clearly some people shared them, because thirty-six people would not be enough people to win this war. Especially against the biggest group of all, the Guild.

Forgetting about the tents and the unbelievably bad odds, he looked around again. To his right was a building that seemed to have been here for a good amount of time. It was built like a log cabin, and it looked very sturdy. Its' chipped and aged wood certainly proved that it wasn't a freshly built building. As for its size, it was quite long, but not too wide. It seemed large enough to fit everyone they had in the rebellion inside, most importantly.

Something off to the side of the building caught his eye. It was a shed, a rather large one at that. It was abandoned and covered in plant life, which honestly confused him since a shed would be good for storage. Why would something available and easy to utilize just... fall into disuse?

"Hey." A voice calmly called out, causing Kenneth's train of thought to be cut off. It was Sarah who had greeted him. She had come out from one of the nearby tents, dressed in her armor, the Alloy set from before. She had black hair, length kept just above the shoulders, and her height was about your average Monster Hunter's, except half a foot taller. She was well-rested and ready to start the day.

"Sleep well?" She asked cheerfully, skipping along to approach him. He scratched his head and chuckled.

"Well, if you call 'waking up far earlier than I usually do out of excitement,' sleeping well... Then yes." He replied with a smirk and gestured to the entire camp and continuing to his question, "So, could you show me around? Mother really didn't give me the run-down of the place yet, just what I needed to do the next day."

"She can be like that, forgetting the trivial things when they don't really matter. Don't blame her, she thinks slowly when not under pressure. There's nothing much here aside from these tents and the assembly. Which is probably also why she didn't bother to tell you about the camp." Sarah explained, before she skipped past Kenneth. As she passed him, she waved off in another direction. He didn't realize she was greeting someone else until they spoke up in a rather deep and sophisticated sounding voice.

"Ah, good morning Sarah. I was just getting over to the assembly to discuss strategy with Rosa." The man said, giving a quick wave back to Sarah. He was also wearing the Alloy set, which seemed to be a telltale sign of these rebels. He also wore an orange robe, one that you might worn by a scholar, over the armor. As for his hair, it was black, short, and messy- Which seemed odd with how clean and well-mannered he seemed to be. He stood idle, only looking at Sarah and not really noticing Kenneth.

"Oh right, I should probably go in and practice my whole speech. Just after you guys leave to, uh, put your charts away or something like that." She replied quickly, tapping her foot repeatedly. Sarah seemed to also be quite energetic during the mornings.

"I need to get to her lesson when it starts. Should I be there for your discussion too?" Kenneth asked, but the man shook his head and proceeded towards the assembly.

"No sir, you should be doing what Rosa assigned you to do. This discussion between me and her isn't one about the rebellion's current mission." He explained, without even turning his head to look at Kenneth.

"May I at least know your name? The assignment IS to meet my comrades right now." He asked, stepping forward and reaching out to him, trying to get him to wait. The man stopped, seeming to show that he'd listen to Kenneth.

"...if it's for an assignment, why not. I'm Vincent, the rebellion's one-and-only tactician." He introduced himself, sighing soon after. "Speaking of, I could use a substitute when I'm injured or busy with something else, but no one that joins us seems to have the same strategical prowess that I do. Perhaps you might?" Vincent asked, turning to face Kenneth when he asked his question.

"I could beat everyone at my Hunter's school at Chess and Checkers very easily..." He said slowly with a shrug in the middle of his sentence. Vincent simply sighed again.

"That's a start. In time, my friend." He said confidently, continuing along to the assembly at his slow pace.

"It's Kenneth, Vince!" Kenneth exclaimed, turning over to Sarah and telling her, "That was hardly meeting him!" She laughed briefly before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Vincent can be like that. If he's done talking to you, he's _done,_ period. Let's see who else'll wake up, yeah?" She said, turning around to watch the tents. Because that was a _great_ way to pass the time.

No one came out for a few minutes, but then another young man appeared out of one the tents. He was way shorter than your average Hunter, possibly even an entire foot. He had dirty blonde hair, but it was rather short, only grown out slightly longer than a buzz cut. Thing was, you couldn't judge if one person was newer than another, because everyone wore the Alloy set that had next to no alterations to it. He waved back to Sarah rapidly, also running over to talk to her. As soon as he got to her and Kenneth, the man stopped.

"Today we have a fine lady with a scaly tail, say hello miss!" He leisurely announced, his tone sarcastic.

"Perhaps you'd like to know what it does and not what it looks like?" She asked, a grin soon following her question.

"Anyone that has common sense would know that it's not just for balance, silly." He retorted, with a goofy chuckle afterward.

"Would it be silly if I tickled you with it?" Sarah said, taking a quick step toward him, causing the man to flinch. Her tail wiggled, and by the looks of it she was able to make it move as she pleased, just as an actual Rathian could. He soon realized his joke was out of his control, and when she started to walk towards him...

"Eh-hey-hey-hey!" He panicked, running away from Sarah as fast as he could, stopping once he was at least twenty feet away. Shortly after, he bowed his head in defeat. "Fine. You win this round!" He said, before continuing to run, except off into the woods. Kenneth stared, extremely confused, with his mouth sitting open and an eyebrow raised. To be put simply, Kenneth was completely confused as to what just happened.

"That's Ryan, he has this tendency to tease anyone he calls a friend, so I make it my job every morning to tell him off. He's harmless and often doesn't actually mean what he says, so don't worry." She explained, still smirking because of Ryan's reaction.

"And do you usually try to 'tickle' him with your tail?" Kenneth asked, a little frightened at the so-called harmless joke. Sarah waved her hand dismissively, laughing but then returning to her neutral expression to reassure him for real.

"He knows well that I wouldn't actually do it, but he doesn't mess with me. Aside from the teasing, that is." She casually stated, hoping to calm her friend's nerves. Kenneth couldn't help but trust her again, even though being tipped by a Rathian's spikes would be almost enough to poison you. He hoped she would keep note of that. After all the commotion, Sarah then turned to look at the sun.

"We've got plenty of time..." She said, squinting her eyes because of the sun's brightness, then looking back at Kenneth. "...so shall we meet some more people?" Sarah asked, clapping her hands together and opening her eyes back up after blinking rapidly a few times.

"Eh, why not?" Kenneth simply replied, noticing someone mere seconds later, who was currently attacking a training dummy with an Iron Longsword with its' most basic moves. It was a woman who had short red hair, undyed and completely natural, was fit and about average height. She seemed quite young, like Kenneth, Sarah and Ryan. Perhaps they could all be a group of good friends.

"What about her? Even though I only noticed her just now." He asked, watching her overhead slashes being executed rather casually. Sarah couldn't actually place her name at this moment, in fact, she wasn't able to recall many Longsword users among the ranks of the rebellion.

"I think she's fairly new, I haven't even met her myself, no joke! Shall we introduce ourselves?" Sarah asked, trying to be polite with her tone. This change was noticeable, because what she thought was a polite tone was nothing more than mimicking nobles and their odd ways of speaking. So, Kenneth thought it was a joke, and simply followed along.

"Why yes, we shall." He declared with an over-exaggerated nobleman's accent. The two walked over with small smiles and high spirits. First impressions were important, many said. When they had gotten to the point where she could have spun around and hit them with her sword, the woman stopped attacking the dummy. Her awareness was quite good.

"I was wondering when someone would come over here and talk to me. It was only a matter of time since our leader told me how social everyone here is." She said, only turning to face them until after she had finished her sentence. "I'm Rei Cecil, many tell me I am an exceptional Longsword user." She mentioned, offering a handshake to Kenneth, who then shook her hand, and then to Sarah, who also accepted the handshake.

"Sarah Hart, nice to meet you." Sarah said, dropping the 'polite' tone since Rei had introduced herself rather casually. She kept her introduction brief, since most of her significant skills were more something to be seen than explained. She also made sure to stand with her legs close together to hide her tail.

"Kenneth Kazamure, son to Rosa and newly recruited rebel." Kenneth happily said. To him, there was nothing like meeting new people, especially since every person was like an untold story.

"Really? So you'll be going up against your own father someday..." Rei solemnly said, realizing just how hard that might be on someone.

"I look forward to it. He betrayed me and the trust of the people, so he deserves what's coming to him." He seriously stated, his tone making him seem a little emotionless.

"Ha!" She exclaimed, offering Kenneth a fist bump. "That's what I've been waiting to hear, someone who REALLY wants to stand up that guy." Rei mentioned, very slightly moving her fist towards his hand indicating that he should bump his fist with hers. It took him a bit to realize it, but as soon as he did he put one of his hands in a fist, bumping it against hers.

 _That was interesting, never seen people do that before. Must be a rebel thing._ Kenneth thought happily, then he was excited, continuing the concept of fighting against his father and the Guild. "He'll stand no chance once we're all at his doorstep." He stated, a smirk appearing on his face. Something about having people mention that they have your back was just so encouraging, which is why he would do the same.

"They'll all cower when we come marching in." Sarah joined in, fist pumping and also smirking at the thought of their enemy's fear.

* * *

An hour later...

For a while, the three new friends sat around discussing scenarios about their later attacks on the Guild, laying out each one and imagining what could happen. After that, Rei went off for a short walk, but before leaving she mentioned she would get back to training soon after. As Kenneth and Sarah were walking back to the tents, Sarah caught a glimpse of the sun's position, then gasping when she realized the time.

"Oh! It's just about time for that lecture. Come on!" She exclaimed, grabbing his hand and running off to the assembly, with Kenneth trying his hardest to keep up with Sarah's ridiculous agility. They got to the door in no time, since it was almost right by all the tents. As she approached to open the door, the knob turned seemingly on its' own and the door opened inward, revealing Rosa and Vincent about to leave the building.

"I see you're ever so anxious to hear Sarah's lesson about what she is?" Rosa asked, surprise evident on her face. Even when surprised she sounded rather calm, regardless of the nature of being surprised. Kenneth shrugged, if there were answers to the questions about the strangest thing he knew, why would he not be anxious to hear those answers?

"You assigned me to do so, so why would I disobey you? I am quite fascinated about Sarah and her 'Half-Blood' kind, though." He said, his voice clearly showing he was excited, but also intrigued at the concept. Sarah moved aside, allowing Vincent and Rosa to exit. After they left, Kenneth and Sarah both walked inside casually, shutting the door behind them when the two were inside.

The indoor portion of the building was pretty makeshift, like most the base. A blackboard was hung on the wall, which was by a long, considerably large table for people to gather at. For simple discussions or more likely, briefing for missions. There were thirty chairs at this table, as well, meaning that a good amount of people would have to stand. Aside from the pleasant view that you could see out the window that was by the door, there wasn't much to see. As for the windows themselves, they were nothing but frames and and shutters. There were about five windows in the whole building, making the place a little dark.

Another portion of the building was a kitchen, with pots and pans simply lying around its' counters at the moment. Most of the kitchen storage seemed to be for keeping things for later meals, rather any actual cooking equipment. One large pot by the counter space, more like a cauldron than anything, was filled with some of the soup from the previous night. Which Kenneth had tried before he went to sleep. It was good, and he was almost tempted to have a little bit when no one was looking...

Moving on.

At the end of the building was an armory, filled with various weapons crafted from iron, machalite, and some even crafted with the rare ore, carbalite, that was only found in regions with above average monsters. Majority of those weapons seemed to be designed for fighting people, aside from the few weapons that were actually for hunting Monsters. A few extra sets of Alloy armor of various sizes also sat around, for new rebels or replacing busted up sets. Amidst all of Kenneth's admiring, Sarah patted the table loudly.

"Sit down. Rosa will be gathering everyone for the lesson." She said, pulling out a chair for him. He went and sat down in the chair, then scooting the chair to sit close to the table, to the point where his chest touched the table if he even moved an inch or two. He seemed uncomfortable to Sarah, making her to pull out the chair a little bit so he had room to move.

...but then Kenneth scooted back in to where he was before.

"How can you be comfortable like that? I couldn't even breathe if I was sitting that close to the table." She asked, causing Kenneth to look down at how close he sat to the table. With how close he was, he might as well been sitting right against the table.

"I think it's the way I was raised, under a Guildmaster and all. I might as well have been royalty with how freaking polite and good-looking I had to be. I couldn't stand the way I had to talk either. Always using unnecessarily complicated words to describe things. I bet anything he isn't sitting around like some noble though, he's probably making up some kinda scheme to get himself a shiny new vase or some other valuable object. I hate that... why does he have to be like this?" He ranted, each sentence mere moments after he finished the last. "Now that I know how he truly acts, I detest him." Now satisfied with that rant, he fell silent and went to thinking.

 _It's unhealthy for someone to feel so much hate towards one single person. I doubt he truly hates his father as much as he openly says so._ Sarah thought, before going on to share her opinion. "Hate is an irrational emotion, Kenneth. Don't hold on to it, let it go, and never look back to it." She explained with a caring voice, one of a friend who was deeply worried.

"It's easy for you to say, you weren't raised to kill, were you?" He replied calmly, yet he was still upset, as well as a little scared of what his father might be up to at this very moment.

"Technically, I was." Sarah admitted, taking a seat next to him. "I was born and raised in the wild, really only trained for survival. So while it's not the same manner of 'raised to kill' that you experienced, it's at least a little similar. When I began to hunt along with my father, I was very, very hesitant to kill anything. He, being a master at hunting, did not approve of this." She explained, ignoring the bad memories of her first few days resisting to hunt.

"My mother, however, was much more forgiving. She was patient with me, and would often want to talk to me about what was going on in my head. Honestly, I should have seen it coming. She knew about human nature. He _didn't._ They would have arguments about me, intense ones at that. More than often enough they'd send me off to forage when they felt the need to argue." She continued to casually tell the story, with no problems controlling her emotions, perhaps trying to show her friend that it wasn't impossible to not get upset over what had happened in the past.

"I was extremely upset when I found them arguing, in fact, I was so upset that I had an outburst right there and then. It didn't take them long to stop arguing and work together calm me down. Though them arguing still lingered with me for some time, they talked to me about it again and again, still together each time. One small problem can escalate if you're careless. Don't let it." She told him, then putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm telling you, as your friend- your new one admittedly, that you shouldn't despair from one problem in your life. Those negative feelings will do nothing but drag you down. I hope you learned that." It seemed she was done, until she piped in with a cheerful remark. "-and not to judge a book by its' cover, hmm?"

"Alright, you got me. Thanks, Sarah." Kenneth said, chuckling afterward. He pushed out a little further from the table to take Sarah's other bit of advice. She walked over to her spot by the blackboard, and while moved to her spot, she noticed through the window by the door that more people were coming. Kenneth suddenly sighed, catching her a bit by surprise. He felt more relaxed now that he wasn't pressed up against the table.

"Ooh, this _is_ much more comfortable." He said quietly to himself, almost unable to believe that sitting at a table didn't have to be so stiff and restricting. "I don't feel like my chest's getting constricted by a baby Najarala. What a relief..." He mentioned aloud, happily sitting in his spot. Sarah looked out the window again, the people were really close now! She turned to face the table, and kept her back to the blackboard.

Suddenly the door opened again, and the room flooded with many, many more people geared up in Alloy armor. They all lacked weapons at the moment. Everyone began taking seats around the table, others had to stand. Sarah waited anxiously as a line of people came in, some trying to move past one another because of their different walking paces. The last person that walked into the room was Rosa, who hadn't taken very long at all to gather people here, with about forty or more rebels in this camp. Must have just poked her head into tent after tent and said, 'get up and come to the assembly now.'

"...go on, Sarah. Begin." She simply announced, before leaning against a wall right next to the door. The room was quite crowded, but no one had blocked the door or the way to it so people could get out if they needed to. With all these people around, Sarah couldn't help but nervously shift, especially once everybody's attention was on her. She gave a small wave to the crowd, being casual and friendly to hopefully get rid of the nervous feeling.

"Hello comrades. Today I'll be teaching you about the nature of the so-called strange beings, known as Half-Bloods by Rosa." She started confidently, showing no sign of being nervous aside from the shifting she did. She spoke clearly, and loud enough for the whole room to hear well.

"I would like to ask a question. Who among you were told that they even existed, and if you were, was the assumption that they were nothing but abominations stated to you?" She asked, prompting a few people to look around the room. Very few hands raised out of everyone there, but out of the few that did included Rei.

"I see." She casually said, surprised at the few show of hands. She was actually kind of happy though. It was better that people saw them as a part of life, and not as some kind of unnatural thing that didn't deserve to live.

"Monsters, as they have been named by our society, have been our mortal enemies since the beginning of time... Have they, or have they not? No one knows. There are few of those creatures that would break that supposed mold. Those are the ones who haven't forgotten the ties of the Age of Peace." Sarah explained, revealing a concept that confused many. It caused some people in the crowd to talk quietly among themselves, and then looking back to Sarah, they wondered 'what is that supposed to be?' It seemed obvious enough, an Age of Peace. No war, no inner conflict. There'd been next to no wars in the history of humanity.

"My father was one of those creatures. As a little Rathalos, he believed with all his heart that we were not his enemies." She mentioned, leaving the people still confused. They all wondered what she was trying to tell them, unable to piece together what she meant.

"Oh, jeez people. Could you be any dumber?" Some young man said, sitting in his chair with a smug grin. He seemed to know what she was already, and was being rather secretive about it. That earned him a glare from Sarah and Kenneth, but unlike her, he had the guy sitting right next to him. Not the most pleasant person for Kenneth to be sitting by.

"Some people can't believe it no matter how hard they try. Don't try to imagine it, okay? Let your eyes show you what you could not possibly dream of. Deny it if you will, but what you are about to see is true." She said, turning her back. This revealed her Rathian tail to the entire crowd. She turned her head back towards the crowd to see their reactions... While many of them gasped and were more confused they ever had been, some were accepting it already. There were a few people who seemed to be having a revelation, as if they'd seen a Half-Blood before but didn't know what they were. Others shook their heads in awe, thinking that it was impossible.

 _Thing is, I know how most of these people feel. Aside from the ones that stare at her tail like they're crazy...  
...well what's standing right before your eyes, then? We're all looking at the same thing. _He thought, a big smirk coming across his face, even though it was rather rude to look down on their reactions. His smirk soon returned to an idle smile, because he wished to respect his comrades rather than laugh at them about the little things.

 _Oh my... Oh goodness... I hope she isn't cross with me._ Rei mentally freaked out, now a little embarrassed that she had raised her hand to that question... but it was true, she had been told that they were abominations by her adoptive parents. She had managed to keep her idle expression, so she didn't need to worry at the moment.

"I am living proof that another Age of Peace is possible! I **proudly** state that I, the child of a Rathalos and a person, that the world will see that dream come true! People and monsters _will_ be united once again!" She exclaimed, fist pumping excitedly.

 _I think my dream pales in comparison to her father's... I would love to see it come true. In fact, I want to help her make it come true!_ Kenneth truly wanted to stand by her side right now, supporting her more as a friend than another voice in the crowd.

"Oh please." The young man mocked, with a laugh coming after his comment too. "Your mom probably just went out into the wild, looking to-" Before he could finish, Kenneth's fist landed square in his shoulder, hard enough to make him ache for a few moments, but nothing debilitating. Kenneth's fist ached because of it, but he didn't care right now.

"I don't think you want to finish that sentence, for my sake and for yours." Kenneth threatened, grabbing the collar of the man's chestplate and pulling him slightly closer. Pulling him had dragged the chair he was in, causing the wood floor to get scraped a little bit. "Don't judge a book by its' cover, or should I do that with you? By my current guess, you're arrogant, lazy, and generally unenthusiastic." He said menacingly, causing the man to squirm a little. He released the man's collar, which made him quietly gasp and move back to his regular sitting position. He quickly scooted his chair away from Kenneth, out of his reach.

"Okay, let's be serious here. Not even I'm as immature as that to take it that far. Can't you tell her mother's intentions, as well as her father's, are honorable? She probably wouldn't be here making this speech if it was nothing but a _passing fancy._ " Ryan chimed in to support Sarah. "I'm serious, though. I thought MY jokes were bad, but oh boy, you take the cake. Why else would she fighting for us if there wasn't a dream to achieve? Anyone who likes bloodshed must be insane!"

"May Miss Sarah continue yet?" Rosa asked, walking over to the man who had mocked Sarah, towering over him while he sat down.

"...whatever." He grumbled, slouching in his seat. She walked away back to her spot by the door, where she leaned against the wall again. "Perhaps a bit of discipline is in order for you. Let your comrades' threats be your first lesson." She seriously stated, her soft voice making her sound simply annoyed at him. "You may proceed, Sarah." Rosa said, with a wave over to her friend.

"So I ask everyone, as a comrade to many and a friend to some, to please, help me achieve this. Make this deadly, fearful world, into one where we may live without the Guild looming over us, doing whatever they please because they are a 'higher' authority. Help me and Rosa defeat the Guild, and restore the long lost age! Who will stand with us!?" She asked loudly and dramatically.

" **WE WILL** **!** " Every rebel exclaimed, some, including the man who interrupted her explanation, said it not as enthusiastically. The really excited people raised a fist with her, including Kenneth, Rosa, Rei, as well as Lucy, who was way in the back of the crowd. People shifted about in their seats,

Sarah smiled. This isn't what she wanted at first, but it seems she had gotten them in high spirits. "Now as much as it warms my heart to see everyone ready for anything, that's not what I'm here to do. I'm here to teach everyone about the nature of us so-called abominations. So please, quiet down and listen." She explained, calmly asking them to be quiet. The rebels promptly calmed down, and returned to their idle sitting positions.

"Half-Bloods aren't as mysterious as many people make them sound. If the mother is a person, you get someone like me, one who grows up as a regular person with a few features from their father. That's not all, I can understand monsters with no effort, as if my mind automatically translates everything they say into understandable words. That's not how it works though, since I have never heard a single word of English from them, only their roars and growls. Their language must be a birthright. There isn't much change, aside from those two things." She began, although leaving a rather large gap until she continued speaking.

"If the mother is a monster, the result is quite odd. It makes an unchanged creature, or so it seems. These things may not hold true because I know only one other Half-Blood of this type. While they may seem like your average monster, they are able to speak a human language fluently if taught. Not only that, they are highly intelligent and learn very fast. It's completely possible for an average monster to learn a human language simply by listening, but majority of them will never be able to use those words properly, even if they lived near people for their entire life." She explained, just going along with the lesson. Her confidence astounded Kenneth, as well as the concept of this whole lesson.

 _Who would've thought that I'd be listening to something as strange as this? Out of all the lessons and lectures I've been to, this one certainly is easy to disbelieve. Heck, I probably wouldn't believe it if I didn't know her and then saw that she was a Half-Blood herself. That term is so odd too... Half-Blood... I suppose it makes sense in a way, if you just don't overthink it._ He thought, surely the others were having the same inner conflict on whether or not to believe what seemed like absolute nonsense?

"Aside from that, that is all I needed all of you for. Thank you for coming and for attempting to understand us odd beings. Take it away, Rosa." Sarah exclaimed, going to join the crowd with a smirk, seeming pleased with her little lesson. She tried to make sure not to slap anyone with her tail on the way over. The rebels applauded as she went to join them.

"I wondered how you understood your father, Sarah. At the time it didn't seem like you could understand him as easily as you mentioned in your explanation." Kenneth whispered to her, remembering the day that he thought he was going to die.

"You should have heard yourself that day. You were rather willing to throw away your life... it was disturbing, you saying you were ready to die and all." Sarah mentioned, shushing Kenneth when she saw Rosa beginning to walk over to where she stood before.

"Thank you, Sarah, for sharing your unusual heritage. It didn't seem easy for you to share this information with us." Rosa said, now standing where Sarah stood mere moments ago. She then grabbed a piece of chalk that was set by the blackboard, and a map she had in a pouch. She began tracing the map onto the chalk board, drawing a few lines and then taking a peek at the map. Everyone stared bored while she traced the entire map, along with adding a few notes. After about ten minutes, and a few people dozing off, she finished the entire map.

"Excuse the wait, comrades, but it's time for our first strike against the Guild. We've waited all this time, anxiously building our strength for a strike, but our last recruitment run was enough to give us the forces necessary to finally make an appearance." She stated, going for a more solemn approach to keep people quiet.

"This is an outpost for Kokoto that keeps watch for big monsters that would be on their way to attack the town." Rosa tapped the blackboard where she had drawn the outpost, in the bottom left corner. Kokoto itself was much larger, and was drawn in the top right corner.

"Although, just to capture the outpost, we need to go around Kokoto. This will give us a flanking advantage that we desperately need. If, and only if, we attack from the outpost and our main base at the same time. The hard part isn't taking Kokoto, it's getting to it and taking it over without word getting out." She explained, Even though she didn't seem to like preparing to fight, she seemed to try to stress the difficulty.

"There's always a messenger for urgent emergencies. They wait to run a message to Dundorma that will have reinforcements, Hunter or Guild Knight, sent over when it arrives. Which means we'll need that flanking advantage to stop the messenger from getting away. Why? Well..." Rosa stopped talking, grabbed the chalk, and drew circles around the three entrances.

"As you can see here, Kokoto has three entrances, but only two are easily accessible from the Forest and Hills, the departure gate, and the back entrance. That third entrance is why this is an issue, because that's the path to the rest of the villages. Our current matter, however, is to take this outpost to prevent that from happening. With it being a mission that hinges on the takeover of Kokoto, I'll need our stealthiest members to perform it." She looked back to the gathering of people that sat behind her, clearly already confident in who she could put her faith in.

"Lucy, Quincy, and Vincent. You three will sneak in alone and take the outpost." She said confidently, but the three were astounded. Vincent put a hand on his forehead, clearly already stressed.

"What happened to the original plan? Why the sudden change?" He asked, astounded at her decision.

"While yes, you may be my tactician... but you and I know very well that you are also a well-trained assassin." Rosa plainly stated, the rebellion's tactician even more confused as to why she'd reveal that out loud.

"I will have faith in you, Rosa. Will we have back-up, though? It can't just be us three coming in from that entrance." Vincent asked, causing her to laugh lightly. Today was the day that he was more confused at his leader more than ever.

"Of course you will. Just after you take over the outpost." She said, almost questioning why he thought she wouldn't send reinforcements with them. She then pulled out their method of signaling the reinforcements to go into the outpost; a lantern with blue stained glass.

"Light this lantern and hold it out one of the windows once the sun goes down. I have utmost confidence that you three will not fail. Prepare, and when it is time to depart I will finish briefing you three, as well as your reinforcements. As for the rest of you, be prepared to gather for the morning, for that's when we prepare to charge for Kokoto." She explained, already beginning to walk away from the meeting spot, before exclaiming, "You are all dismissed, except you, son. Come with me."

"Er- okay." Kenneth quietly said, standing from his seat as he watched his mother walk by. He then followed her without question. For a moment Kenneth thought she was leaving the building, but Rosa didn't even glance at the door. Then he remembered the last or his third assignment; get equipped! His torn-up Guild Knight armor was not ideal for any combat situation, but it was certainly better than being naked.

"Let's get you a new set of armor. That junk set won't do you any good." Rosa mentioned, proceeding to the end of the room where the miniature armory was located. Kenneth was excited to finally be confronting the Guild, especially since he discovered what they'd been doing.

 _While it's only been a week or two since I discovered that my father, along with the Guild, were corrupted, I still can't wait to crush them for the sake of the world._

 _Never again will they bother the peaceful lands again. Not on my- I mean, our watch._

 _Finally, I am no longer alone to face them. We have work together almost perfectly._

 _Otherwise they'll crush us, and without us rebels... the Age of Peace might never show itself again._

* * *

Edward, who was now back in the heavily defended fortress that was Dundorma, was still quite conflicted about Kenneth tricking him and fleeing from Kokoto. He was in his actual home now, a rather large building with a second floor and multiple rooms, just beside the Elder Hall. Pacing in his bedroom, he was muttering to himself and wondering what had caused his own son to break away from medical and mental care just to run away.

 _"Damn you and everything you've done! I can't believe what I've done because of you!"_

His sad and angered tone still rung in Edward's ears, almost making him sob. He stopped before he began to cry, his anger returning and preventing him from thinking.

"Oh please." He began, his tone nonchalant for some reason. "MY son? MY SON? No. He's decided who's son he was as soon as he ran away!" His tone gradually went from sad to angry. Before he was completely enraged though, he wondered what could possibly have caused Kenneth to run away...

 _"There are a group of brigands with stolen Guild goods hiding nearby in the Forest and Hills. They've set up a camp and have been raiding caravans that pass through the area, and you must take them down."_ He remembered explaining, it was the last quest Kenneth had to do to join the true ranks of the Guild Knights, and that's when he resigned...

"No, don't tell me. It couldn't have been!" Edward began to piece together which group that was; it was a group that had been running from the Guild for quite some time, for stealing documents and recording secret Guild meetings. He put his hands on his head, unable to believe his own stupidity.

" **It was!** " Edward cried out in surprise. "I sent him to discover our misdeeds, all recorded? I turned him against me, all because of one mistake. At this point he must have been found by one of Rosa's ridiculous rebels with how long he's been in the Forest..." His tone became quiet and sad throughout the sentence, but not long after the sadness turned to an insane, elongated laugh.

"Is there no way..." He began, his voice sounding tired. "...that I could mess up my own life further!?" Edward yelled and slammed his bed, causing it to bounce along with his fist, which harmlessly returned to an idle position. He laughed again, quietly this time. Picking up a mirror from the side-table near the bed, he looked into and saw only his own tired and upset face.

"...and I'm talking to myself." He quietly muttered, setting the mirror down and lying down on his bed to rest. These kinds of outbursts always left him with a headache.

* * *

While Kenneth was suiting up in his very own Alloy set inside the assembly, Sarah thought she'd call some sparring matches outside. After all, better to be as prepared as possible for a fight so your odds of survival are at their highest. Well, then again... sport was never out of the question.

"Oh, Ryan?" She called out rather loudly. He came running shortly after.

"What's up? Not done with beating me down verbally?" Ryan asked, nonchalant as always. She smiled, and grabbed a wooden training sword that rested against the assembly and tossed at Ryan. He caught it and then smiled, seeming to know where this was going.

"Maybe your skill with a sword is better than your wit?" She said, grabbing her own training sword. Sarah always wondered if he could put his money where his mouth was. Now it was time to find out.

"Perhaps it is..." He said, pointing the sword at her and backing away. "...very well, I accept your challenge, little Queen."

"You'll find I'm much more than royalty." She quietly said, before charging at him right away. She almost expected him to run, but Ryan stood fast, making sure to keep his eyes on her weapon. She abruptly stopped during her run towards him, leaving the two with an awkward moment where they both were just standing there.

"So you're not as cowardly as I originally thought." She taunted, beginning to circle him slowly. He began to circle along with her, the two always staying out of reach of the other.

"You sure I'm not just stupid?" Ryan said, trying to drag her attention away. He took a quick step towards her, seeming to press the attack, but instead feinting and backing off. He was actually afraid of Sarah, since he had little combat experience. The two had started to gather a crowd, only a small one at this moment.

"Either it looks like we're dancing and people are watching, or they're just bored and have nothing else to do." Sarah mentioned, looking away for a moment. That made her miss a crucial move that Ryan made- he had advanced rapidly, and was already attacking with an overhead swing as soon as he was close enough. She raised her sword, clutching it tightly in both hands to defend. The two locked blades and stood trying to overpower the other.

"And they say I'm all roars and no claws... Well..." He said, his voice straining as he began to overpower her. It was all a ruse, because as soon as he resorted to all strength, she simply moved her sword to the left. This moved the blades together, making Ryan stumble way past Sarah and fall flat on the grass. She walked up to Ryan, who tried his best to get up, and simply poked him in the back. He twitched when she poked him, and the small crowd laughed at that. He had felt rather ashamed about getting beat by her so quickly, so, he stood back up and pointed at her.

"Best two out of three!" Ryan exclaimed, throwing his sword on the ground in frustration.

"How 'bout no." Sarah said casually, walking over to the assembly and dropping the sword back where it was before.

"Pick that sword back up," Vincent suddenly said, taking the sword and moving Ryan out of the way with a gentle push. He moved away from the two, sitting down with a scowl on his face.

"He was hardly a fair fight." Vincent stated, spinning the sword around casually, waiting for her to pick the other training sword up.

"Well, well, well." She replied, promptly picking the sword back up with a smirk on her face. "I've been wondering how long it would take you to challenge me, Vincent." She admitted, bowing to him for the sake of this fight.

"I'm surprised you didn't outright challenge me. I am greatly impressed at your patience." He said, his tone trying to show that he was being sincere. "I trust you know my rules, then?" Vincent asked, and Sarah simply nodded in reply, steeling herself for the fight to come.

"Best two out of three it is, then." She once again accepted.

Ryan yelled, "Oh come on!" when Sarah agreed to the 'best two out of three' rules. They took six steps away from each other and took sturdy stances, while one of the other rebels stepped forward to be a referee.

"Begin!" The referee said, quickly backing away from the fight that would take place. They approached one another in a matter of seconds, neither of them wasting any time with fancy or unnecessary movements.

 _Toughest fight? Sure. Bring it on._ Sarah thought, taking a quick poke at Vincent. This strike didn't catch him off guard and he parried it, so Sarah tried to fall back. He followed through with his strike, and it managed to touch her sword's guard. It was clear, he was charging her down. With his sword still close to her, Sarah locked swords with Vincent. She was tempted to try and break the lock and fall back, so she took two steps back. It looked as if she was about to flee, as she took another step.

 _You flee and you won't last a moment longer._ Vincent thought, pushing her back with sheer force to try and further her uncertainty. It almost worked, making her panic and hesitate, but instead she followed through with locking blades. To his surprise, she was a little stronger than him, but strength wasn't always the key to victory as she had just shown in the last fight.

The two struggled against each other for a short time, Sarah actually getting a little tired from Vincent's sheer strength. That was what was deceiving about him- he was rather lanky, yet very strong. Though there was one thing that he had overlooked...

...he was caught up in the moment. She moved her sword to the left, causing the linked blades to move together and send his sword out of the way. Vincent didn't fall over, but he lost his balance long enough for Sarah to strike his shoulder with a thrust. It was almost a repeat of the last fight. Vincent brushed off his shoulder and scoffed.

"I can't believe I fell for the same trick you pulled on him... How embarrassing. I promise I won't make the same mistake twice!" He declared and backed off, preparing to begin again. Sarah only laughed.

"Enough with the pride. Lighten up!" She said, raising the sword. This time Vincent seemed quite serious. She didn't understand why he always acted like this, these matches were for the sake of just getting better. As well as fun.

"Ready?" The referee said, before backing off and saying, "Begin!" again. Right from the get-go, Vincent was aggressive, taking two short steps forward and thrusting his sword at her sword hand. It was easily deflected by Sarah, though as she tried to go for her own strike, Vincent was already striking out with another thrust at her sword arm again, which caused her to back off and deflect it in panic.

She was being overwhelmed so easily! So, it was time she got serious. She moved her free hand behind her, and turned so only her sword arm was in front, just as Vincent was doing.

"You wanna play serious? Okay. Here we go." Sarah stated, she normally only fought like this when she was practicing or if she was fighting for real... but if he wanted to fight seriously, she thought it would be nice to have him get what he asked for. They both lunged, seemingly on purpose, and their swords almost slid past one another. Sarah was the one to back off first, though she re-engaged fast with a strike aimed deliberately at his sword. Vincent guarded on instinct, but that was the wrong move.

Her hand came in and grappled the sword away from him as he balanced himself from the strike, and she hit him unceremoniously with a sword poke to the chest. He had harshly underestimated Sarah, and just paid the price. She had planned to throw the sword back to where it belonged, but when she looked over quite a crowd had gathered, blocking her throwing path. Almost all the rebels stood staring in awe, just realizing that Vincent, one of the best, just got beat. 2-0 no less.

"Congratulations, Sarah. You overpowered me." Vincent said, dropping his sword on the ground without a care. "If you think yourself such a hot shot, you'd try to face Rosa." His sentence was said harshly too, he was very prideful about his sparring matches. She didn't think it was very sporting or even satisfying to be that way with sports. Vincent began to walk along back to his tent before he was stopped by Sarah, who ran over and touched his shoulder.

"Don't take it too hard. We're all friends here." She comforted him, causing a distant laugh from someone else in the crowd. "Aside from some people." She said coldly, walking along with Vincent back to his tent. She couldn't see his face, walking behind him and all. He was secretly smiling.

"Thank you for dethroning me." He whispered, causing Sarah to quietly gasp. He had wanted to get beat.

"You threw the fight, didn't you!?" She quietly exclaimed, making him shush her.

"No, that was a serious fight. I'm tired of people waking up at the break of dawn just wanting to duel me, especially when they came into my tent and woke me." He admitted, reaching his tent and going inside. "That's up to you now, you're the new sparring champ." His voice said from inside. What craziness awaited her? More duels, she guessed. Serious ones. She decided to head back over to the assembly, and when she arrived, Kenneth was outside, fully dressed in his very own Alloy set.

"Oh, hello Sarah. What's going on here?" Kenneth asked, clueless. He noticed the relatively large crowd that had gathered. Sarah held up the wooden training sword she had and wiggled it around.

"Sparring's what. I just beat one of the best." She explained, although just mentioning sparring had his interest spiked.

"One of the best? Who might that be?'" He asked with his curiosity peaked. Sarah hesitated and tapped her foot a few times.

"Perhaps a specific gentlemen who's more than he seems?" She mentioned cryptically, but Kenneth immediately knew who.

"Vincent? Really?" He said, confusion apparent in his tone.

"You were at the lesson and the briefing. We both know now he's a trained assassin." She said, and listening to herself that sentence seemed weird. A educated gentleman who is a master at sword dueling and assassination? There was definitely more to Vincent than he cared to share.

"I am in need of some practice. Care to grace me with one of these matches?" Kenneth asked, walking over to and picking up a training sword.

"I just beat one of the best sparring opponents in the rebels. Do you really wanted?" She asked him back, unsure of his skill as a fighter. She didn't want to beat him in a second because of his inexperience. He wouldn't really learn anything from that.

"Doesn't matter who I face, does it?" He stated nonchalantly, chuckling a bit afterward. "I have no scale to your skill, so this will be interesting." He mentioned, raising his training sword.

 _Determined, aren't you? Admirable, my friend._ Sarah thought, raising the sword she still carried from Vincent's and Ryan's duels.

"Gimme your best shot." She taunted. He cautiously approached while guarding with his sword, intently watching her footwork. He was suspicious when she hadn't moved at all after a second or two, probably because she was baiting him into an easy hit for her. Kenneth almost hesitated, but instead went with two quick steps into striking distance and giving her a fast side slash. His strike winded up slightly, giving away his intent.

She parried it rather easily, almost immediately going for a poke afterward. He saw this coming and hopped backward as an instinct, just avoiding the hit by a hair. She seemed rather amused at his sudden panic, he had even tried to be careful the best he could and yet that didn't work. Perhaps he was a little in over his head. He just needed to stop worrying and focus on the fight, that's how he always battled most effectively.

"Too afraid to try anything after that? Such a shame, I was hoping for a real good fight." Sarah casually taunted. One taunt as simple as that didn't even bother him, but sometimes all it takes is one thing to take you down. One bad mistake or one moment of hesitation to lose a fight. Kenneth focused, and closed his mind to any unnecessary thoughts and focused on one thing...

Fight... Win the fight.

Suddenly, Kenneth was completely focused. He had no intent to converse or stop to see the sights.

Sarah was the one to cautiously approach him this time, her guard at the ready for anything he might be pulling. She took a single step too close to Kenneth, and he moved his weapon extremely quick compared to the slow, rather obvious wind-ups he gave before. His strike was a sudden overhead attack, one aimed at her sword arm. While he seemed quite focused, he was no expert at fighting yet. Once again, she parried the strike without even trying. Her counterattack came as a simple slash towards his hand, though it was deflected halfway through!

Another strike was incoming right after her sword was parried, and this one was a lower slash that was aimed for her free hand. She hadn't moved her free hand behind her back! With a twist of her wrist and a step backward, she corrected her mistake and parried this away from her too. Where did this sudden fluidity and confidence come from? It made him such an oddly powerful opponent in a duel, it seemed. No time for games, though. She beat Vincent through strength, perhaps that was the way she was meant to fight. This time, when she engaged, she winded a thrust up a tiny bit on purpose, knowing that it would get parried. Surely enough, Kenneth swatted the thrust away from himself. For a moment, his blade was available to grapple, she reached for it...

...but Kenneth was already striking after his parry, a slash aimed at her head. She identified the strike and ducked under it, retracting her free arm just in time to avoid getting hit. She then thrusted her sword right in to Kenneth's stomach.

"Urk!" Kenneth loudly grunted, the thrust that struck his stomach had left him feeling a little woozy. "Heh... Good match, Sarah." He said slowly, leaning over and looking at the ground.

"I must admit... you're pretty good." Sarah exclaimed, breathing rapidly from the adrenaline rush. "You had me on the ropes, I'll admit. I was careless to go for the grapple." She admitted, smiling to her friend. "You alright? Not gonna puke suddenly?" She asked her friend, he shook his head.

"I'm fine. I just... need a minute." He said, taking a deep breath and exhaling. "Whooo. Okay. That's a little better." Kenneth said, standing up straight.

"If you think she's good, wait until you fight mee-" Ryan cut in, only to be interrupted by Sarah who knew he was just going to brag.

"Shut up, Ryan. I kicked your ass." She plainly said, making him blow a raspberry at her.

Kenneth couldn't help but laugh out loud. He was enjoying this fun and silly moment all too much.

"Well you're in an awful good mood for someone who just lost a sparring match." She said, smiling over at him and trying not laugh herself.

"Are you kidding? I don't think I've enjoyed myself this much ever since I was a kid!" He suddenly admitted with a huge grin on his face. He remembered the days of playful jokes and pointless squabbles in Hunter School. He missed those days dearly.

"That's seri-" Ryan started, before Sarah immediately talked over him. "I'm glad to hear that, after all, you told me your teenage days were _awfully dull and positively uneventful_ _._ " She glared over at him menacingly, as if telling him to be silent. "For the last time, don't judge a book by it's cover..!" She quietly scolded Ryan, causing him to back away a little bit and think for a second.

That sentence made him feel a little shameful, since he had a rather fun life before the rebels. He had almost shoved that in Kenneth's face. "Forget I said anything." He indirectly apologized. Luckily, he got her vague message of 'Don't mimic him,' before he could say anything actually insulting. He had to thank her for these kinds of social rescues.

"Since I am feeling rather childish, that shed has piqued my curiosity. Does someone else wonder what the heck that shed over there is for?" Kenneth asked, pointing at the shed that was barely visible past the assembly.

"Actually, I know what's in there." Sarah admitted, which made him turn over rapidly to face her. He waited, anticipating the answer greatly. Then, she took a deep breath and said, "...nothing. Don't bother looking, it's utterly abandoned."

"You what!" Ryan exclaimed, very clearly disappointed with her answer.

"Was worth asking." Kenneth said, shrugging off Ryan's shock.

"I feel like it's a bit large for a shed though." One female rebel from the crowd mentioned.

"It is, isn't it?" Another female rebel agreed.

"Who knows what it was used for before it was simply left here?" Sarah thought aloud, turning away from everyone and casually walking away. That left Kenneth thinking, was she lying? The way she left was a little abrupt and her answer was rather casual compared to the enthusiastic replies he'd heard all day. He wasn't in the mood to go check it out now, but maybe tomorrow, in the morning. There was a whole day of training to be had today, and this was just the start of it. Aside from the silliness of course. Had to be serious for getting better, especially since everyone's lives would soon be on the line.

 _I've survived the land, discovered the truth, and am fully equipped to fight._

 _I'm ready to go._

 _There will be no hiding from this war, father._

* * *

Excuse the wait, I promise I will repay everyone with the first fight of the story! This is where I'll need criticism the most, because I haven't done many fight scenes.  
I'm serious, gimme the criticism, I can take it!

As for my original plan for this chapter, I thought I'd extend it past Edward's "and I'm talking to myself" section, mostly because his section was originally going to be Kenneth thinking happily about what happened later in the day. I decided to make that an actual part of this chapter (as lengthy as it made it) since it would mean more interaction between the characters before all hell breaks loose. Plus, since I've already taken so long, why not improve it?

Honestly I've been thinking about finding a Beta reader to help me out a bit, since I have been rather unsure about how some of these chapters should go. Just a thought though.

What's this? Oh, it's time for the next chapter!

-SabreKnightNA


	8. Chapter 7

You may think it's been much longer since I published a chapter, but it's not. I remade Chapter 3 (reason seen in the chapter itself) and have been working on this since. I've been hitting a few bumps in the road that have been slowing my progress in writing this, (my God the stuff I use keeps breaking!) but I've made sure to keep going. Here's to persistence!

...in all seriousness, I hate to keep all of you readers waiting. Sometimes I find it very hard to write, other times I write like a flowing river.

Oh, ignore me. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Awake early again, Kenneth was pacing about the campsite of the rebellion. As lively as a place this was, even it was quiet before the sun had fully risen. A few people were up and about, doing work to keep the camp in good shape. He felt a little out of place in that regard.

 _She'll probably start giving me jobs any time now, just gotta be patient. I have only been a part of her rebellion for a day or so, after all._ Kenneth thought, watching all sorts of work being done. Someone managed a well to make sure everyone had clean water to drink, while a few people patrolled the perimeter to protect all who slept. He had an entire plan for his own rebellion when he fled from Kokoto, all up until he would have to locate his father, the Guildmaster. He threw that plan out of the window now that he was a part of Rosa's rebellion, since she had years more time to plan, gather members, and teach them how to fight.

How he wished he could have known about this group before! It would have simplified things so much. Life was never simple, as he had come to realize. Perhaps one day things wouldn't be so hectic and complicated, and life inside society could be calm. He dreamed about being a regular family, one that could enjoy eachother's company, live and learn, and even just have some fun, but...

 _That's just wishful thinking._ He frowned, those whimsical thoughts fading into confusion. _Why should people have to deal with being robbed by the Guild itself, let alone have the threat of death over their heads all the time. It's probably all a part of Edward's master plan. Make them fear you, or make them feel helpless. That's how he made me feel when he told me I was an only child. Fucking liar._ He got teary eyed when he came to think of that old feeling of isolation. What made it worse was the fact that he wasn't allowed to be with other kids to fill that gap of loneliness. To top it all off, much of his childhood was work, which really set him off when he heard that other people his age had these great childhood memories they couldn't stop talking about.

 _Was that his intent? To make me feel weak and alone? No, definitely not... Why else did he send me to a Hunter's School, where I got to learn to depend on no one but myself? If he wanted me to be completely dependent on him, why did he send me away?_ Kenneth pondered, before realizing the obvious. _Probably so I'd become a Guild Knight, just as another_ _pawn to use in his grand scheme. That was almost what happened, too..._

Was there anything his father could have done to prevent Kenneth from joining Rosa's rebels, aside from driving him away from the Forest and Hills? It was almost as if he was... destined to be with them if he was going to rebel.

 _Ugh. I hate that word. Fate is a lie. There's no writing about my life and everything I'm going to do. That does give me a marvelous idea though..._

A wide smile appeared on Kenneth's face. He could write about his life story! Already his life was turning out to be... interesting, to say the least. If he survived and defeated his father, he could become so much more than a singular rebel who battled against the Guild's corrupt ways. The people that could read the story would get to know him- not like the other legends that went out to wow the audience.

 _I would pour my very life into this book. Every thought, whatever they may be, would go into it. Everyone could get to know me on a more personal level, rather than a hero who's above all the rest. I would never lie to my readers, whoever they may be._

Why was everyone not just honest? It would make everything easier. Then again, he knew there were secrets that people hid to prevent themselves from being hurt or embarrassed. He knew very well that some people were very protective of their secrets, and for good reason. He didn't like to talk about a lot of the... questionable things he and some other people did at the Hunter's School.

Speaking of honesty and secrets, however... someone out of the corner of his eye was sneaking past the patrols. An intruder? A woman wearing an Alloy set, that long brown hair... no, that was definitely his mother. His sister was too small, young, and... definitely NOT delicate from her display of skill during last night's sparring matches. Still, why was she sneaking past her own rebels? Rosa had just went behind the assembly, and Kenneth rushed over to the side of the building and peeked around the corner. He had to see what she was up to.

She looked all around to see if anyone was watching, checking to her right, her left, then... Kenneth hid, she probably just looked behind her. Slowly, he peeked back around the corner, to find her sneaking into the shed that almost no one paid attention to.

 _Sarah said that was abandoned! What's my own mother doing SNEAKING into it? If she wanted to investigate herself, she would have just walked in there._ He thought, walking slowly over to the shed, making sure not to make a sound and alert her. The shed shook violently, making a metal rattling and causing a rebel to look over to and shrug. Why had no one investigated this thing already?

Without hesitation, he pushed his way through all the plant life that covered it, walked inside, only to bump head first into the beak of a Kut-Ku. "Ow." He casually, rubbing his forehead. It definitely looked- abandoned. Only after a few moments thinking on the word 'abandoned' did he realize what had happened.

"Oh!" He exclaimed, looking back at the Kut-Ku. It had simply been standing there, as if he wasn't a threat at all. Someone hidden exclaimed quietly, "Who's there!" in reply to his yelp.

"Oh no, did someone actually come in here?" Another hidden person quietly asked. That question almost made him chuckle. Did no one investigate this spot, for real?

After the moment of surprise was over, somebody came from the back of the shed, where it was very conveniently dark. It was his mother, as he had guessed. She sighed and put a hand on her throat. "My goodness. You scared me half to death." Rosa said, moving her hand to her son's shoulder.

"What I want to know is what you're doing in here with this- Kut-Ku!" Kenneth said, gasping. It was that scarf! He hadn't gotten a good look at it, but right then, he knew it. It was that same one worn by the Kut-Ku he rescued in the forest.

"What's the big deal?" The other anonymous voice said, also coming out from the darkness. Rei was also with her!

"But- Sarah's the one who lied. Why isn't she helping you with... taking care of this guy! That's what you're doing. You're the one who tamed it!" He said, quickly coming to conclusions. It was easy to figure out with the sneaking and the inconspicuous, 'abandoned' shed that wasn't being used.

"Slow down, Kenneth. Yes, we're taking care of them. However, you're looking at the wrong person if you want to know the proud guardian." Rosa said, walking with Kenneth over to Rei. He looked over to his mother and then back to Rei.

"You? Really? I found him bleeding out, sitting there, just waiting for the end... I patched him up, and accidentally sent him home after he played a little game with me." He said, with a light-hearted smile. That made Rei get a little choked up. Someone she hadn't met saved her Kut-Ku, and then that same person became friends with her... The world was a strange place.

"No way. Out of everybody that could have? YOU saved him? I... I thought he was dead, if we're being honest. He got lost after we got split up. I searched desperately, but as night fell I couldn't keep looking. I was... heartbroken, thinking something had found and killed him. Thank you so much, I cannot express how much this means to me. This Kut-Ku is not only a fun-loving little guy, but he's also proof that Rosa is not the only one who can take in young creatures and raise them." She explained, standing by the Kut-Ku and patting it on the back. Rei seemed quite proud at the fact that she could raise young creatures, as her voice lost its' solemn and sad tone and became strong and joyful when she mentioned raising the Kut-Ku.

"Wait. Stop right there," Kenneth said, putting up one of his hands and analyzing her sentence in his head real quick. "'also proof that Rosa's not the only one who can take in and raise young creatures?' You didn't do it first?"

Something shuffled in the back of the shed as if in reply to his question, then it growled quietly. He noticed a dark green shape, moving ever so slowly. It stopped moving when Kenneth had been staring for a short while. Rosa moved past him and started shushing it. "Well, uh," Rei said, tilting her head in the direction that Rosa and the figure was, mentioning, "there's your answer."

"Shh, Naga, shh. Calm down." Rosa quietly said. He took a moment only to realize she had given it a name, which wasn't really a surprise. Everyone gave a name to their pets, but she hadn't really said the word 'pet' at all. Did she consider her as something else? Like a friend? "She's young, so she's distrustful of new people." She mentioned calmly. Then, with a smile, she turned around and offered, "I'll introduce you. You wouldn't be a stranger anymore."

This spiked his curiosity. He really wanted to see what Naga was. Then again, he knew many of the wide variety of Monsters that existed. There weren't that many green ones that he could name off the top of his head. Qurupeco was one, but they were more reminiscent of giant birds, more so than the Kut-Ku that stood before them. They were also very colorful and... He guessed, chatty, was the word for them? Aside from that, there wasn't many to pick from that weren't too rare and or dangerous, except maybe a Rathian.

Giving in to his curiosity, he nodded and said, "Alright. I'll meet her." Rosa nodded as well, then looking over at his weapon sheathes. "But drop your weapons. She won't trust you otherwise." She said, pointing to his Dual Blades. Kenneth reached over his shoulder and felt one of the handles. He nodded, then took off the sling that held the twin sheathes and dropped them to the floor. He was defenseless, but not as threatening.

"Good. Now come here. Slowly." She said softly, gesturing for him to come over. Taking soft, slow steps, he walked toward Rosa. With how many precautions he had to take regardless that she had raised it, Kenneth had come to the conclusion that whatever it was, was extremely dangerous. Halfway over, he started to make out what species it was. The first thing he noticed was the green fur- that was unusual. He had thought they were scales or something at first. Then, almost a cat-like head shape... He took one more step, and stopped. A tail with spikes all over it, with an orange tip and the end, and wings that looked as sharp as blades and shined as such...

There was absolutely no doubt about it. This was a Green Nargacuga. For a moment, what went through his mind was, _WHAT THE FUCK IS MY MOTHER THINKING IS SHE TRYING TO GET HERSELF KILLED SOMEONE PLEASE HELP._ He became extremely nervous and that was clear, as his breathing became shaky and his heartbeat rapid. Rosa held out her hand to him and smiled. "Don't worry," she said in almost a whisper, "it'll be alright. There's nothing to be scared of."

While that wasn't true, Kenneth still walked forward with newfound confidence. Now that Naga was visible, she was tense, crouched in the corner and also seemed as if she was ready to pounce on him. What he was most worried about was that tail. He had read that Nargacuga spikes were incredibly sharp, and therefore, would be incredibly painful to pull out if she launched any into him.

Rosa had stayed calm this entire time, constantly comforting Naga by saying that it was okay every now and then. That seemed to be working. He must have startled her when he suddenly entered the shed and started raising his voice. When he got over to his mother, she removed his Alloy gauntlet, revealing his bare hand.

"She needs to become familiar with you. In a way, this is your handshake with her. Be respectful and non-threatening, like when you were meeting your new comrades." Rosa explained, then hiding his gauntlet from him. "Let her approach you. Do not corner her, either." She mentioned, patting her son gently on the back. There wasn't much more she could do to help him. If he backed out because he was scared, that would be his own fault.

 _Oh that helps wonders for my nerves._ Kenneth thought, getting control of his shaky breathing and holding out his hand slowly. He closed his eyes in a bit of panic, thinking maybe if he couldn't see her, it would help him stay calm. That worked up until he could hear Naga's breathing, slow and calm, as if the situation was suddenly in her control. He had to immediately remind himself that he was putting a huge amount of faith in his mother.

 _I must have faith. She says Naga will not harm me... I trust her._ He thought calmly, his hand becoming steady and still. Naga was now close enough to him that he could feel her warm breath against his hand. His instincts were screaming out to run or fight with such a dangerous creature so close, but he silenced them alongside his doubts. So close were the cutwings that could kill him in seconds... they didn't matter. The creature _behind_ all those dangerous features did.

Then the feel of fur against his hand, so warm and soft... it reminded him of a Felyne's fur coat. He had to open an eye to see, and there she was right in front of him, her head delicately pressed against his hand. Naga took a step away, looking at Kenneth oddly, as if she didn't know what to consider him... friend, or foe? He retracted his hand and chuckled. "Wow. Okay... that, just happened." He said, his gaze moving back to Rosa. "What now? Do you... want me to leave? I will, if you want." Kenneth asked, looking to the exit disappointedly.

"I can tell you don't want to. Talk to Naga, give her some attention... just interact with her. Hiding away after saying hello is no way to meet someone." Rosa said, walking past her son and out the doorway. He was rather nervous, since she was around to make sure Naga was being nice, and leaving the shed would mean if anything went wrong... well, Naga could do whatever she pleased, for the most part.

"Where are you going, though! I'm not-" He asked, being cut off by his mother shushing him. "Relax," was all she said before sneaking off. So there he stood, in a room with a Green Nargacuga. Alone. Well, the Kut-Ku and Rei were around, but those two were playing around quietly amongst themselves, hitting a little ball to one another.

He didn't even realize it, he was 'stealthily' approached by Naga, who curiously prodded him in his side. "Well, hi there," He said, turning to face her. She bumped him this time, making him stumble. "Do I magically not make you nervous anymore, or are you just bored? Huh?" Kenneth asked curiously with a smile. She was certainly acting like a child! He walked around Naga and away from the doorway, and this time she knocked him to the ground with a weak kick when he tried to pass her. He fell on his back and lied there for a moment.

When he sat up, she was right in his face, sniffing him all casual like. He was at a loss of words. Only minutes ago she would have killed him without a second thought, and now she was toying with him! "You're so silly. What's so interesting about me?" Kenneth said quietly, slowly raising his hand that still lacked a gauntlet. She ignored it, laying down on his legs and making it so he couldn't get up. Naga's head sat on his chest, and she was just staring at him. She looked comfortable and a little tired, as if she could go to sleep any minute.

 _If this isn't strangest, let alone the silliest, experience with a monster, then I don't know what is. I mean there was that time with the dancing Jaggi..._ He thought, the memory running through his head. There was this strange little Jaggi in the middle of the Deserted Island all alone. He was sneaking up on it when it started hopping around and bouncing everywhere in a pattern, like it was dancing. Kenneth couldn't help but laugh when he saw that for the first time. It was still funny any other time he thought about it, just less so than the first time.

He decided to just go with it, petting Naga slowly on the head with his bare hand. This seemed to just make her sleepier, as she closed her eyes and relaxed her limbs. With no way to get up, he decided to relax with her. When he had signed up for being a Monster HUNTER, he hadn't ever suspected he'd become a live pillow for one.

 _There's a lot of things that don't show up the job description. Most of them unpleasant, but this... I could lie here all day. Feeling... tranquil. It's one thing I had never thought I'd feel with a monster around- let alone one simply a few inches from my face._ His thoughts were finally interrupted by a quiet laugh from Rei. He could still see her out of the corner of his eye, but she didn't look like she cared. Rei had looked out the exit of the shed, gesturing for someone to come. It was probably Rosa.

"Hey, Rosa. Rosa. Come see." She said, confirming his guess. She had excitedly been repeating her gesture, wanting so badly for her to come over and see him pinned down by Naga. "Oh man. This is so great..." She said as Rosa pushed past the overgrowth. His mother had laughed aloud, unable to cover her mouth as she was carrying something in her arms.

"Hi, mom. I'm apparently a pillow." Kenneth said, raising a hand in the air and then just letting it fall to the floor. "This is how friendship between man and beast comes to be. One as a pillow, the other resting contently." He said jokingly while still smiling. Rosa nodded as if he wasn't joking.

"Perhaps it'll be the other way around for you one day. Some of the best friendships start strangely." She mentioned, quietly whistling and calling Naga. That made her stand up and look at Rosa swiftly, especially because what she held in her arms was breakfast. A nice big hunk of meat that must have been hidden and set aside somewhere in the camp for the Nargacuga to eat.

Naga had turned around to receive her food, her tail flying just a few inches above Kenneth. He scooted away to the back of the shed to get away so the tail wouldn't hit him while she was eating, either. "Oh, your timing is SO great. Great great great great GREAT." Kenneth nervously stated, putting a hand on his chest as he attempted to control his breathing. It was over and done with, but he had to complain. His own mother was saying all these things on safety and then nearly gets turned into a pincushion!

"Calm down. A Nargacuga's tail cannot harm anybody- aside from a little bit of bashing, unless the spikes are pointing outward. Otherwise, they lie flat, unable to slash or poke." Rosa explained, walking right past Naga's tail without even flinching. Well, she certainly knew her stuff, he had to admit...

"Okay, sorry. Never really fought or met a Nargacuga before. This... this was a very fun experience, regardless of how nervous I've been. It's different from when I met Rei's Kut-Ku in the wild, but it's still been beyond my imagination, being able to peacefully interact with the Monsters." He admitted, looking over to Rei and realizing something.

"Hey, does the Kut-Ku have a name?" Kenneth asked, making her shrug and reply, "No, actually... I can't find anything that suits him. Always so sassy and playful, this one." Rei smiled, waving to her friend briefly. "I'll start thinking of one. Everyone deserves a name, after all!" She said happily, looking back to her Kut-Ku friend and saying, "Yes, it will be hard to find something that suits you, won't it?"

It didn't take long for Naga to eat, as she loudly and happily scarfed down the slab of meat she was given. Kenneth got out of the corner and out of the shed, where he was told to start getting ready for the march to Kokoto. His mother had almost forgotten to hand him his gauntlet and weapons on his way out, which he casually commented, "Yeah, pretty sure I need those," after he received them.

 _Maybe secrets aren't so bad, since even my mother is keeping some._

 _I can't talk. I have a few secrets of my own that I REALLY don't want to tell anyone._

 _I'm just glad I stumbled on those two today. It was so nice to see that Kut-Ku again..._

 _...and not to mention meeting Naga! She was silly much like the Kut-Ku. I'll really enjoy watching them grow up._

 _I'm so excited to see how they act when they've been raised by one of our own!_

* * *

At about ten in the morning, all the troops had gathered and readied themselves for attacking Kokoto. Everyone had eaten their breakfast, got equipped, then gathered into four person squads. They left only moments after everyone was ready. Kenneth, being rather new and knowing very few of his comrades, asked if he could be paired with his friends. Rosa decided to let him have that just this once, since she never really saw him with anybody else.

 _Perhaps if those four work in a group, they'll do better. They always seem much happier and so much more determined when they're together._ Rosa thought as she accepted her son's request. She also imagined if Lucy was around he also would have asked to be paired with her as well, but she was taking care of a watchtower that had to be dealt with. That would give them a shot at controlling Kokoto silently. Now they just had to reach the edge of the forest, where one of the reinforcements would meet Rosa's 'army.'

Meanwhile, while everyone marched along, Kenneth and Sarah were having another serious talk, while Ryan and Rei shared rumors and learned little bits about one another.

"You know... I've been thinking about what that guy said. At the speech yesterday?" Sarah mentioned, seemingly forcing a frown and speaking with a serious tone. Kenneth knew exactly who she was referring to when she said 'that guy.' He groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me you've been taking what he said to heart. The guy's just trying to piss you off, y'know? Sometimes people are like that." He explained, stretching his arms and shoulders as they walked along. He had a few experiences with a guy like that back in his Hunter's School, but he never knew what to think of him. Especially since he always seemed to jump between trying to aggravate others and not wanting to say a word to anybody. He wouldn't bother to go in-depth with that right now.

"Yeah sure but... think about it. If I'm just a total mistake, born of a primal mating urge, how you think that makes me feel?" Sarah said aggressively, while Kenneth glared at her. He thought she was going to touch and go with the concept, but apparently she wasn't. That's how every creature was born in the wild... Why couldn't she see that? No matter. Kenneth had some insight to drop on her.

"Damn it Sarah, I stopped him from saying that for a reason! It's not about _how_ you were born. It's about if they care. YOU think about it." He replied, sounding very frustrated and pointing at her at the end of his sentence. He kept talking, not letting her reply with anything negative before he could speak his mind.

"Would you rather be a 'mistake' like you are now, or grew up with a family who couldn't care about what happens to you?" He asked, getting a little louder and more frustrated in that sentence. His father came to mind, and while he still raised his son, he just didn't seem all that interested in seeing him grow up. He didn't even shed a tear when Kenneth was sent off to Hunter's School. He could barely remember any time that his father showed any interest in him, except when he got hurt or did something amazing.

"Well, but if you... just... UGH..." Sarah was at a loss of words, unable to argue with Kenneth's sentiment. "You're... right. Forget him. I'm glad I have a family that's around and cares about me, no matter how I came to be." She said, giving her friend a thumbs-up. He smiled and gave her a thumbs-up as well.

"You see, this is what I like about you. You don't argue against the truth. You just think for a moment, and then decide. That makes this loads easier for me." He replied, satisfied with his own lecture after Sarah had lectured him the previous day. Now they were even.

"I can talk up a storm in a _real_ argument. More than you would probably like to know. I just haven't been given the chance..." She mentioned, walking beside Kenneth and bumping him in the shoulder. He patted her on the back in reply. The two switched gears from shouting at one another to buddy-buddy in simply a moment.

"Promise me you won't think about it, alright? It's not exactly the kind of conversation I wanna be caught having for both of our sakes. I like what we have going." He said, looking at Sarah and smiling.

"I won't talk about it because I'm over it... for now. No promises." She replied, smiling back at her friend and relaxing her mind. She just had to get that out of her head, it had been bugging since she had woken up this morning

The two continued to walk beside one another, while way ahead of them, was Ryan and Rei, also talking up a storm.

"Yeah, I bake sometimes. Mostly in big stone ovens, where they seem to come out the best. Where I came from, nobody could bake but my dad and me. I had to make any pastry or baked snack I wanted myself." Rei said, holding a small drawn picture of her decorating little cookies out for Ryan to see. While it was drawn in ink, it was still possible to tell that Rei was the one who was in it if you compared it to her real self. "Sadly the quality of these cookies can't be seen in a drawing. They were my best batch to date." She said disappointedly, pocketing the picture. He simply shrugged and looked over at her, smiling to reassure her.

"I'm sure they were great. I'll take your word for it!" He said cheerfully, then proceeding to think about what he liked to do prior to joining the rebels. "As for me, I used to teach kids all sorts of games. I had seen so many kids just aimlessly walking about my village, I decided to share with them MY childhood." He said, taking out his own drawing. It looked like a three year old had tried to draw a Hunter and a Ratahlos, but it was rather difficult to tell since it was all singular lines that formed stick-like characters.

"One of the kids drew this for me and gave it to me for teaching them how to play stories. One of the kids would pretend to be the Hunter while the other pretended to be a Rathalos. It was so innocent and silly in comparison to what actually happens out there..." He reminisced, that memory fading to the imaginary sounds of explosions. He had nearly been burnt to a crisp by a sneak attack from a Rath couple. Ryan had barely walked away with a bunch of scratches and singed skin. That encounter left him with a triple scratch mark scar on his back alongside all the injuries, but he always hated to mention it or show it to people. It only reminded him that he nearly died that day, nothing more.

"Sounds like a lot of fun. I didn't really play any games after I became ten years old. I wanted to be serious, to learn, to experience what the world had in store for me... Oh, how stupid I was." Rei replied sheepishly, her smirk fading into a scowl. For some reason she felt ashamed that she didn't experience half the things many kids did, perhaps, because nobody found her any fun go be around. It made her very jealous at any child's innocence.

"Surprising that the kid knew what a Rathalos even was, though." She commented, making Ryan hesitate to reply. He thought about for a moment, then shrugged when he came up with his reply.

"Eh, not really. I remember that the shops around each town tend to sell a lot of books about wyverns, even back when I was a kid." He replied, smiling contently from their conversation. Rei was awful quick to trust him, then again... If somebody had secrets that burdened them, then they died, no one would ever know. If some of that burden could be shared, then now would be the perfect time.

With that, Ryan decided to continue, perhaps she had an opinion on his thoughts. "I'm going to be honest with you. I have no idea why I still carry this picture." He said seriously, his gaze shifting away from Rei and his voice trembling as the memory of his near-death experience played through his head again. "I don't know if it's hope for a better era or what... but I was almost killed a few years before I joined Rosa and her rebellion. By a Rath couple who caught me wandering. I should be petrified by this photo because I know that's a Rathalos he drew! But..."

"But I think you know that they're just like you. You've seen it in their eyes, haven't you? That they're creatures trying to survive and enjoy life just as much as anyone else?" Rei cut in cheerfully, and Ryan scoffed in reply to that. She had guessed his thoughts exactly. Then perhaps she knew the feeling that he had always felt as a young Hunter.

"Then you know that hesitation from being a Hunter. Looking into their eyes as you're about to end them?" He asked shakily, clutching his hands into fists and taking a sharp breath.

"...yes. I know that exact feeling." She replied emotionlessly, steady as a rock when it came to controlling herself. Ryan, however, just let loose, continuing off what he had said even further.

"I just... don't understand how all those famous guys bear with it. And what's worse, brag about it! It's... it's... such a damn tease! Aren't they concerned about any of their actions? AT ALL?" He exclaimed, cursing at himself for shouting. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, "miniature freakout."

Rei nodded her understanding and continued the march alongside him for support. This army of rebels could seem stable on the outside, but truly, on the inside... was nothing but a bunch of young men and women, who could only keep it together with the company of others who shared their problems with one another, and a strong leader commanding them. Rosa listened to many of the conversations on her way to Kokoto, and many of them had one striking similarity.

Everybody was scared of what was to come... but the age they wanted could become a real thing if they succeeded.

They were all ready to die for her and her cause now, wether she liked it or not.

* * *

The village of Kokoto finally came into sight, each person shoving past the trees to see the little community of which they'd soon take over. A rebel awaited their arrival with a status update.

"Rosa. Good, you're here. Lucy and her group are already sneaking around as we speak. You're ready to move in, I assume?" He asked, making her nod in reply. The rebel asked her to follow him, but Rosa stopped, turned to all the rebels behind her and told them, "Their patrols will be watching. There is a small gap in it, how typical. Wait to go until I give you a wave, then one group will come to me and enter Kokoto's walls. Stealthily take out your targets, non-lethally if possible."

Every rebel saluted and replied, "Yes sir!" quietly in understanding. People began to form lines at random, some people deliberately letting the newbie groups in front. Rosa soon followed after the messenger, taking the first opening in the patrol. She and him laid flat up against Kokoto's defensive walls, making them impossible to see because there were no ramparts to walk on, so patrols were severely limited in vision.

 _They're not looking for people. They're looking for Monsters, which won't be what they're dealing with today._ She thought, watching their current entrance to Kokoto warily. That patrolman just left the gate, but he would be back soon. That was a given with how small Kokoto was. She moved up against Kokoto's open gates, sat down, and waited.

...and waited for five or so minutes, until she heard the patrolman. More accurately a patrolwoman, holding a conversation with somebody. Rosa watched her walk over and glance out the gate and the area around it, going right back to talking as soon as she left. Rosa gestured for someone to come over, repeatedly and rapidly waving. Kenneth waited anxiously with his friends as groups were slowly being called up to infiltrate Kokoto.

Meanwhile, Lucy was inside the walls with Vincent. They hid behind the medical building where they had knocked two Guild Knights out already. Vince was already expressing his concerns with Lucy's strategy, however.

"You can't just knock them out one by one. Someone will notice eventually." He said, watching around the corner for people who might be looking for the unconscious Knights. She scoffed at his worry, and looked around the other corner of the building for more people, also commenting about Vince's complaints, "Oh please. There's probably like ten of them. We'll have them out cold and tied up in no time, even without our reinforcements."

While she was going on about his complaints, he knocked on the wall of the clinic and that made somebody inside of it investigate. One of the doctors popped out from the front door and yelled at one of the Guild Knights, who angrily replied, "I ain't knockin' on your damn buildin'! The hell're you lookin' at me for!" That man soon walked off and got into an argument with that doctor. Just another stroke of luck for Vince, ace assassin.

"Oh sure, MY luck'll run out, but yours won't?" Lucy sharply whispered, making him glare at her. He had to retaliate after that comment, after all, there was his reputation to think about!

"That wasn't luck. People bicker about that kind of stuff all the time." He replied, with a cool and collected tone. There was no risk of his reputation being botched by Lucy, an amateur in the sneaking arts compared to him. She shook her head as Vince snugly smiled and snuck behind the Felyne Cook's building. He poked his head out in the small gap that each building had inbetween eachother, to find a patrolwoman being strangled near one of the entryways.

Back to the main group, Kenneth joined the other two groups who had snuck into Kokoto. Soon they would overwhelm this small town with ease. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Quincy, a woman about Rosa's age, who had snuck into Kokoto with Lucy and Vincent. She was quite tall, coming in at six feet two, and could overpower most any Hunter you threw at her. She was rather pale, oddly enough, and had dirty blonde hair that was kept long, below the shoulders, just about. She knocked one of the patrolmen with a bash to the head and dragged the guy inside his old house.

 _Oh yay. My house is being helpful._ Kenneth thought sarcastically. Of course it was helpful to him when he was younger, but now it was concealing a knocked out man and a comrade. He stopped focusing on that and moved closer to where the Sword of Kokoto was held, sealed in stone. He was behind the Village Elder's house now. Speaking of which... would he have to knock him out? Or would he go willingly? He wouldn't be hard to deal with, being retired from his days of hunting... It still made him feel guilty.

"What's the plan?" Rei asked, hiding alongside Kenneth, Ryan, and Sarah. He scratched his head looked at a group of four Guild Knights standing around and joking about on the job. He nodded and looked back at his friends and told them, "I've got a plan. Stay here, and if I get caught, go take care of those guys."

The three nodded, putting their trust singularly on Kenneth for now. If things went wrong now, they could at least help him fix his mistake. He was also the only one with a plan... Putting his plan in motion, he snatched one of the patrolmen who was leaning against the Elder's house, dragging him out of sight and keeping him in a chokehold.

Kenneth struggled to keep him in his grip! The man kicked and screamed, but his arm muffled his yells to a degree. Nobody could quite hear him, as luck would have it. He panicked as the man started to slip loose, but his yells became quieter after each one, and with a groan, he fell limp in Kenneth's arms. He sighed in frustration, letting out some stress. If they had heard him, all the remaining Guild Knights would have come running. Rosa had said there were more around at the moment because they were preparing to go into the Forest and Hills. Most likely to look for her.

"Joey! Quit staring at that relic and get over here! The guys want to do some bets with you!" A patrolwoman shouted. It didn't take long at all for her to get frustrated and walk over. Was Joey the guy he had just knocked out? Kenneth's nerves went crazy again, making him drop the unconscious man. He would have to leap out and tackle this person or else she would call for help. Then again, the Elder might see and call for help too... This would take some solid timing.

"Joey, I heard that! You better not be trying to play a prank on me again! I hate it when you scare me!" She complained, looking at the spot where this Joey guy last was. Then she started walking towards the Sword of Kokoto! She was probably going to check if he was behind the tree... This was his chance! Kenneth rushed out and grabbed her, pinned his wrist against her throat, and covered her mouth with his other hand. She didn't call for help, instead she used every bit of strength she had left to try and hit Kenneth so he'd let go, so he starting leaning slightly backward to avoid being struck.

His hand just barely slipped loose, letting the patrolwoman let say something, which she struggled to get out before her oxygen supply failed her. "The enemy is..." She exclaimed, but that was just enough. Many blades were heard being unsheathed. No going back- these guys would kill him on sight. He drew his Sworn Rapiers and waited. More blades were heard being unsheathed. He had messed up. Big time.

"Where's your bastardly friend who messed with my girl, huh!?" Someone shouted, then two swords loudly clashed against one another, and grunts of effort were heard. Kenneth charged out to see what was going on, only to be jumped by a Switch Axe user swinging his axe right towards him! He dove under it, the blade narrowly missing his back. He continued to tumble into the open streets, where the fight was about sixteen rebels versus eight Knights. A two to one ratio. More rebels could be heard on their way, to make matters worse for the enemy.

"Surrender and you won't be harmed!" shouted Ryan, who drew his Charge Blade and charged out of hiding. "Don't make us do this..." Rei joined in as well, drawing her Longsword and following Ryan. Even more weapons could be heard unsheathing, including Sarah's. She ran in with a battle cry, and from what he could see, it was nothing but a jumble of people trying to hit their enemies while trying to avoid stabbing their friends.

He got up and faced his aggressor, who was separated from the group who were working together to stay alive. The Knight switched his axe to sword mode, using an overhead slash during the weapon's transformation. Kenneth raised a rapier and backed away to avoid being cleaved in half, the rapier taking the entire hit. His arm soon felt the recoil of blocking such an attack, aching intensely. That attack quickly transitioned to a low sweep, which Kenneth decided to leap over and thrust his other rapier right into the Guild Knight's left eye. There wasn't much he could do from there, but he was still alive!

The man dropped his Switch Axe and punched Kenneth in the cheek, bruising it immediately. The rapier, which he had a tight grip on, ripped straight out of his opponent's face. He desperately covered his eye as it bled and dripped to the earth below, staining the ground that he stood over. Kenneth immediately re-engaged, using one rapier to stab into the Knight's gut, and then he moved the other to slit his throat, which let out a quick gush of gore before he dropped dead. There was no need to let him suffer.

He effortlessly pulled his weapon loose from the corpse, accompanied with another spray of blood. Then the husk of a man fell to the ground, creating a pool of blood almost as soon as he had landed. That was just one of them. Kenneth ran to join his comrades, which now equalled twenty-four rebels and seven Knights. All but one man had surrendered, and he had broken away from the circle of rebels escape being captured. Before he could turn to see where he was going, the man ran straight into Kenneth, knocking both of them off their feet and onto their backs. Lucy ran from the group of rebels and put her blade up against the man's neck.

The Knight started to put his hands up, then suddenly kicked Lucy as hard as he could in her stomach. She went flying to the ground, hitting it with a nasty thump, but no crack. He grabbed Lucy's weapon which fell flat on his armor, hopped to his feet, then faced her. She was hardly a threat! Oddly, he felt a distant ache in his back... then a painful wave of total pain as something pierced through his chest! He groaned and coughed in pain, but felt like he couldn't breathe no matter how hard he tried. Kenneth hadn't hesitated to jump to his feet and stab him in the back, as dishonorable as that was.

"You, yeah you. REMEMBER ME?!" He screamed, thrusting his other rapier into the back of the man's head. Seeing him kick Lucy as he had seemed to be surrendering had really set Kenneth off. The Knight screamed in terror as he felt the second blade start to go through his skull, but was silenced mere moments after. Kenneth was the only one to have killed anyone, and he was vicious about it. He breathed heavily as he stood there with his blades impaled in this stranger, and ripped them out violently as he leaped backward. A few splatters of blood had got on all parts of his armor, but he was mostly clean considering that brutal attack.

Many people had heard the commotion and came to check it out, but came to a shocking sight of a damaged corpse and a man who stood there with dual blades, which were coated with a crimson liquid. It was easy for the town's residents to tell that Kenneth had definitely killed the man that laid dead before them.

"If there's anything I hate more than a liar..." He muttered to himself, wiping his Sworn Rapiers on the ground to clean them of the blood that tainted the shining blades. "...it's a coward." Kenneth finished, sheathing the blades and kicking the corpse of the man angrily. Rosa gasped as he kicked the dead man, who Kenneth walked away from without another word.

"Please, my son. Do not let yourself get caught up in hatred. No matter how much that man's tactic set you off, it is always right to set a good example for every person that sees what you do. Never desecrate a corpse or disrespect them in death. Everyone can rest in peace... no matter how they die." She explained, sadness and concern very clear in her tone. He turned face his mother, looking embarrassed.

"I can't say I'm sorry. I didn't really have to kill him, but he seemed like he surrendered. He fought back, against my sister no less, and those two things were all it took to piss me off." Kenneth said quietly, as he was making peace with his thoughts as well. "I know I'll have to kill again. There's no way I won't. I'll... try to fight for the right reasons. I think these men deserve a proper burial, here in Kokoto." He said, keeping his attitude solemn. He had to be strong, he had to be skillful, but he only now realized, he had to be respectful to all. He could still make it right by burying this man. That would come later.

The citizens fearfully hid in their homes, unsure as what to with all the rebels that had entered and taken over Kokoto. Rosa walked into the center of the town and called out, "People of Kokoto! Hear me out. I wish to speak with all of you." Even when she was shouting she sounded so gentle, her voice never having any aggression. It was almost... whimsical, all the time. "I know this is sudden, but we are a group of rebels who know what the Guild is doing! Please come out." She asked again, looking at all the doors to each home.

The Village Elder left his home first. Then, one by one, more citizens left their homes to see Rosa and what she wanted. She smiled as all the doors to the homes were open, and every person seemed to be outside and listening to her. Some could not pay attention to her, as they quivered at the sight of Kenneth, who had just killed someone without hesitation or mercy.

"We have captured this village in the hopes of furthering our cause. You may not believe me, but the Guild, as my son Kenneth has told me, is abusing your resources! Taking what they will from merchants, stealing farmer's crops, even branding innocent men criminals..." Her tone went from solemn to encouraging, as she raised a fist and continued her announcement. "Today was our first victory against the Guild, as quickly as it went. Even though we had planned to kill no one, two men did not surrender and were killed for resisting. We are sorry if you knew them, were related to them... but we are doing what we must." She said, looking at each person's expression to see how they reacted.

It was clear that some people knew the two dead men. Some were in tears, others looked like they would be in a moment, and a few were already paying their respects to the dead. "We ask your co-operation in fighting the Guild, and we promise to leave you alone when this is all over. By agreeing to help us, you may become fugitives until the end of this civil war... We will have our rebels protect you, do not worry. We only ask that you allow us to stay here, without alerting us to the Guild, and by also supplying us provisions and equipment in this war." Rosa announced, looking mainly to the Elder this time. He knew most every resident in town, so perhaps he'd speak for them.

"Miss. I accept your offer. Many of my merchants have been robbed, and I neglected to believe it before... but they said they were robbed by none other than Guild Knights, or they never returned to Kokoto at all. I believe that this is true, and I want the current Guildmaster dethroned. We don't live with a proper democracy- which is very unfortunate, and I want that fixed. We will ALL assist your endeavour." The Village Elder replied, stepping forward and up to Rosa. He stuck out his hand for a handshake, and in a blink, she took it. This was the rebellion's first stepping stone.

 _Unbelievable. The Elder accepted my request, even after my son's display of brutality._

 _He told me that he 'did what he had to do,' but he certainly was aggressive about it._

 _I need to calm him down so the people of each place we liberate won't ever fear him..._

 _I... can only hope he does not take doing such a thing so lightly._

 _Please say you are no murderer, Kenneth!_

* * *

Voila! An 9k chapter for all your waiting! Hope you enjoyed that one because I had a real great time writing it, with the introduction of Naga and a taste of how violent Kenneth could be, since his sense of what's unnecessary is all over the place... You think he'll **give in to the Dark Side?** Cause I think they have cookies and really cool weapons. AND THAT'S TOTALLY WORTH IT. Mmm, cookies. Wonder what kind.

..I'm getting off track again. Wait, did somebody say SNICKERDOODLE!?

Aside from that, I'm letting you guys see some of all the character's backstories! I want to learn how to make every person to feel distinct, without making them feel drastically different. Feedback would really help me out here, since I usually have trouble noticing my own flaws.

Praise the blood! and then Praise the next chapter!

-SabreKnightNA


	9. Chapter 8

Hey again, readers! You thought I had some momentum going, huh? Well, if you guessed so, you were right and wrong at the same time. I wanted to take Thanksgiving off to enjoy some time away from writing to figure out this part of the plot and of course, to be thankful for all I have. This will be the last chapter of the year because of some complications, but I will continue to write in **February 1st, 2019**. I _will_ finish this story, I promise.

...I am going to admit this, Monster Hunter World (which I recently bought) played a part in me staying away from writing. Curse me and my need to play video games!

Onward, to the chapter! Raaah!

* * *

The next day, Kokoto had almost seemed the same as the day before. However, in secret, the Watchtower outside of Kokoto was being used as a prison for those who didn't turn against the Guild, the townspeople were doing their best to make things look normal as possible, and rebels disguised themselves as the Guild Knights they captured, like they'd never been gone. Kenneth wasn't one of those men, probably because he had been a Guild Knight previously, and would be recognized easier than everyone else. Mainly, Rosa had other plans for her children.

In the dark of the night, she woke Kenneth, Rei, and Sarah, telling them it was time to go get Naga and Rei's Kut-Ku buddy. The four of them ventured into the Forest and Hills to retrieve the two young Monsters... who hadn't been left alone.

A man with thick black hair, most of it combed out of his face and off to the sides, had brown eyes, was just about as tall as Rosa, (only a couple inches shorter than your average Hunter) with quite a muscular build. He had a beard that he tried to keep shaved away, but as much as these features made him look older, he was still a child at heart. Unlike other rebels, he wore the Derring set, the symbol of a Hunter who started their career in Val Habar. Mason Wood was his name, and he had stayed with the young Monsters while the attack on Kokoto happened. He assured Rosa that neither of them had caused any trouble, and that they were calm and obedient the whole time. She was surprised.

Then, Rosa pulled another trick out of her pocket- she moved the two Monsters out of the shed and started to pull the walls apart! While the assembly in the Forest would remain, this shed had been built with the purpose of looking abandoned and being mobile. It provided a hiding place away from Hunters and other people who would be unnerved by the Monsters she'd need to hide. That's when she shared her secrets and hopes with everyone around her, joyfully proceeding from one sentence to another.

 _When Edward's Guildmaster status is stripped away from him, I hope to mend the bond between humans and Monsters that was severed so long ago by fear of one another. That Age of Peace that Sarah's father spoke of... I can't imagine he was lying. How Sarah had so thoroughly recalled his explanation, and how he seemed to oppose the Guild when the Knights started acting out of line, and even when he somehow got a human to become his mate._

 _Why bother to spin such an intricate web of lies when you can just share what you have learned from the past generation? It has been hundreds of years since that Age, and the only reason I know about it is because of him, his family to pass it on, and his daughter to translate it. I already said that the bond between humans and Monsters was severed through fear of one another, so... why would he waste the time to come up with a story that humans could never understand? To convince other creatures that humans are not to be feared._

 _This is why more Half-Bloods are appearing, but also why many Monsters are so aggressive these days. He only shared the truth, inspiring both the sides. The ones that sympathize and care about humans, and the ones who want us to stay away from them and keep out of their lives. Perhaps we were lied to... but tell me, do any of you have a better explaination?_

Nobody could argue with the 'Age of Peace' view because it was one of the reasons they were fighting. Maybe some of the other rebels misinterpreted what Sarah meant at her speech, but did it matter? If they were willing to fight for the cause without asking, would it be wrong not to tell them all of their intentions? Sarah felt it was wrong, but neglected to share the truth with her comrades no matter how bad it made her feel. They were just getting started, how would they fight all the Guild Knights if they lost half of their rebellion through telling the truth? It left everyone, including Rosa, feeling conflicted.

The group decided to be on their way, picking up the pieces of the shed then getting Naga and the Kut-Ku to follow them. They also folded all the tents up beforehand, which they'd send the entire rebel force to pick up, alongside all the equipment and boxes. They had encountered little resistance on their way back to Kokoto, aside from a Great Jaggi and its' pack thinking they could take them on. That is until Naga let loose a roar and made them all scatter and flee before anybody could draw their weapons. They had to run from there just to be sure no predators or Hunters had investigated the sound. Though it wasn't unusual to hear a Nargacuga fighting in various forests, it didn't hurt to play it safe.

Cutting back to reality, Kenneth headed for the Forest again. The shed and all the tents had been set up throughout the trees, the former being hidden even further back so none of the rebels would notice that the same shed from their original base had somehow followed them. Nobody seemed to notice that it was gone when they picked up all the tents and supplies, or they just didn't mention it. He jogged past his tent and was on his way to visit Naga, oblivious that Ryan was waiting in his own tent for Kenneth to pass by.

"Hey Ken, my man! I'd like to have a word with you." He called out, bolting out of his tent to catch him. Kenneth decided to give him a moment, since he couldn't be followed to the shed. He'd run the risk of revealing the whole secret. He turned to his friend and nodded, asking Ryan, "What's on your mind?"

"You okay? You've seemed out of it since you had to kill those two guys, even after you buried them and paid your respects." He asked intently, trying to be sensitive to not hurt or insult his new friend. "If you don't want to talk about it, dismiss me and go about your day."

Kenneth shrugged, how could he put it into words? He had mercilessly ended the lives of two men, and many more before them. "I couldn't answer you if I tried. I've had to kill before, ever since I was a low-ranking Guild Knight. I thought it was for the right reasons, putting bandits and thieves to death... now I find myself questioning my every decision. Never have I felt so unsure, Ryan. Never." He explained, confused by even his own past decisions. Ryan whistled in admiration and a hidden bit of concern, nodding and making baffled faces as he thought about what Kenneth could have done.

"I'll admit. That takes commitment. By no means do I like that you had to kill anyone in your lifetime, I just can't help but admire that you've got guts." He admitted, halting his sentence and not mentioning that he didn't have the guts to kill another person, that is, unless they were trying to kill him. "Sorry to bother you, I won't ask again. Think about the happy things, my man." Ryan said, giving a quick wave to his friend as he headed for Kokoto. Kenneth checked his surroundings and scattered when he saw the coast was clear.

 _Whew. That was close. Time to go visit Naga and talk to my mother. I can bet she already has an idea of what our next move is._ He thought as he weaved past tree after tree, only stopping when he saw the falsely abandoned shed. He ran around to the spot with the vines, took a deep breath, and pushed past them... only to immediately come face to face with an excited Nargacuga, who was clearly awaiting his arrival. Naga started sniffing him like last time, inspecting him with a strong sense of curiosity.

"Someone's happy to see you." Rosa's soft voice rang as she walked over to join Kenneth. He chuckled, still baffled at how friendly the wyvern had been to him. "I couldn't tell you why! Do you think she knows something we don't?" He asked, taking off his gauntlets and weapons before setting them to the side of the entrance. He decided to throw off his helmet this time, so he seemed more casual. Naga continued to investigate him as he proceeded to talk to his mother. "I see everyone else quickly got situated. I'm guessing you and the rebels have been waiting to leave the forest for a long time?" He asked, rubbing his wrists. It felt odd to take the gauntlets off, probably because how often he wore armor.

"Yes, we have. For years we hid in the Forest and Hills to keep this rebellion a secret. I would be surprised if they were comfy in such a tight living space." She replied, shaking her head and looking at Naga. "I felt more at home out there with nature, and likely enough, so did Naga. With that in mind, it would be rather difficult to make a base of operations in that same spot, so it was more for convenience than comfort." Rosa slowly petted the Nargacuga on the back as she talked on, her mind wandering to her past failures. She had made so many rebels stay in that forest for so long, they had lost some of them mysteriously, and others to the predators that caught them off-guard.

"Lucky that I managed to find Sarah and your camp. Did I tell you she has no sense of direction at all? We walked in circles for at least a half an hour before we finally got ambushed by Lucy." He mentioned, also giving Naga some attention by scratching under her chin. She sat down and closed her eyes, happy with the two people grooming her.

"I call her by her birth name, Lucinda, half of the time. How did you start using her nickname so quickly? You two don't seem that close yet." Rosa commented, sounding more like a question than a simple remark.

"It's easier. I also asked her if I could call her that when I started talking to her." Kenneth looked back at Naga while he replied, noticing how happy she seemed at the moment. It was odd that she was okay being showered with affection, that just seemed... odd for a Monster such as a Nargacuga, that he always viewed as prideful, ruthless creatures that found joy in fighting. They stopped petting Naga and stopped talking when they heard someone's footsteps. Naga stood up, watching the entrance of the shed with readiness, then quietly stepped forward, blocking Kenneth's view with her cutwing, and crouched down low as if to pounce on whoever came.

Sarah pushed past the vines and looked unintentionally into Naga's eyes, which turned from a hostile stare to a wide-eyed look of recognition. She backed off to her original spot and let Sarah enter the shed, almost seeming embarrassed that she nearly pounced on a friend. Sarah patted her on the head gently and walked inside, happily mentioning, "Someone's defensive today."

"Seemingly over my son, hmm..." Rosa mentioned, joining Kenneth in his confusion. She wondered, what was making Naga so protective and friendly towards him? They only met each other the day before. She had a theory, but she was going to wait until Sarah left. She only really came here if something was important, aside from a select few times when Mason was absent and she had to look after the Monsters.

"Ah, well, she didn't hurt me. Nothing wrong with her being a little on edge, like everybody else who is involved in this rebellion." Sarah said, her sentence setting the tone for what she needed to say. Rosa nodded, calmly replying, "Yes, that's to be expected. Go on."

"All of our more experienced members have no problems, they knew what they signed on for, but many of the newer, less trained rebels are feeling pressured about disguising themselves and staying here at Kokoto for the rest of the war." Sarah explained frustratedly, pulling a note from one of her belt's pouches. "They don't want 'their nerves to be the hinges of which this war hangs on,' which is... fair enough, but what worries me is that eight of our best members are staying behind to let these new members push forward with the group."

"What?!" Rosa exclaimed quietly, her soft voice still making it hard to tell if she was surprised or not. "They're doing this by their own choice?" She asked, stepping closer to Sarah and receiving the note she held. It not only had the quote Sarah had just said, but the names of those who were staying in Kokoto to allow it remain controlled secretly. Kenneth looked at the note alongside his mother, reading no name he recognized, except... Mason Wood, the man who was taking care of Naga and Rei's Kut-Ku when they arrived at the shed last night.

"Very well. If they all want to stay, let them," She said solemnly, nodding some more before mentioning, "it is bold of them to stand in the place of their comrades. Posing as someone else is not an easy task."

"I'll tell them that. On to victory, on to peace!" Sarah walked out of the shed, shouting her little war cry as she left. Rosa chuckled, Sarah's attitude reminding her of Lucy when she was younger.

"Her hopes are certainly high. Don't you ever wonder if anything negative at all goes through that girl's head? She never seems to be negative unless it's the truth, like just then." She asked Kenneth casually, leaving him to hesitate. Did Sarah ever talk to Rosa in a serious manner? Perhaps she was just trying to keep their leader enthusiastic.

"Can't say I have." He lied, keeping his answer simple as to... not elaborate on many of the negative things she DID tend to say. That made Rosa chuckle again. It seemed to be working so far... so Kenneth guessed that Sarah would continue to lie to Rosa, so she'd focus on the most important thing; freeing all the land from a corrupted system.

"Now, on the topic of Naga. I have been raising her like one of my own children, and that seems to be rubbing off on her, as she did try to protect you from what she thought was a threat. Not a vicious, angry mother... but almost like..." Rosa paused to think, racking her brain for the word she wanted to use.

Kenneth cut in with his idea, thinking of how he felt when Lucy got hurt. "...a sister, maybe? An older sister? I felt that way when I saw Lucy get hurt, but it was more of a vengeful feeling that time."

"Yes, that must be it. I can't think of many other reasons why she liked you from the start, aside from the fact that, she just... does." She said, a grin still remaining on her face. "One day, I imagine there will be proof," she thought aloud, sharing her thoughts to give others more insight, or hope.

"That raises another question, how young does she think I really am? It's really hard to tell since we can't talk to her yet. For now, I'm gonna stay with Naga for a while, maybe I can get some cryptic answers!" He said, being nudged by Naga in the arm. She made a high-pitched yelp and tilted her head, like a curious little kitten. Cute... to him at least, because coming from a Nargacuga it sounded rather aggressive. Kenneth disregarded that and smiled, patting Naga's beak in reply.

"Speak of the Deviljho and it shall appear." He joked, being licked on his chin when he moved his hand away. She sat down on her hind legs and continued to lick his chin, returning the favor for Kenneth's grooming. She abruptly stopped a few seconds later, noticing his bruised cheek. This made her concerned, whimpering and rubbing his cheek gently with her own. "Hey, I'll be okay. It's just a bruise!" He assured Naga, placing his hand on her snout.

Rosa couldn't stop smiling as she watched him interact with Naga, so carefree and happy, like yesterday's events never happened. She sat down and let the two of them spend some time together before they would be separated for who knew how long. Kenneth could die in this war, and if Naga truly thought Kenneth was her sibling like Rosa and him thought... she would be devastated if anything happened to him.

* * *

From a seemingly normal day in Kokoto, to a town flooded with more people than they were supposed to have. Rebels crowded the streets, carrying supplies to carts just outside the gates. For the merchants that had shops here, there had never had a better day for business in their lives, all sorts of items being bought in bunches of ten or more. Rosa and Lucy were discussing plans with the town's elder, who had neglected to share his name, about a plan to get into Minegarde without any attention being drawn to them.

"While you, your son, and your daughter could always pass as a new family coming from the country, surely one of Edward's higher ranked Knights would recognize at least one of you?" He mentioned, opening a map of Minegarde on the desk he was sitting at. "That arises a new issue. They'll pretty much know you came from Kokoto, so it would be risky to send a small group of people from your ranks..."

Rosa frustratedly twiddled her thumbs. They couldn't just attack Minegarde, anybody they wanted to defect would surely think their intentions were bad. "Sneaking in with most of our rebels is not an option. Minegarde is a town, not a village, it will have at least ten times as more people there- Guild Knights and townspeople included. It will have to be a small, inconspicuous group that will start an uprising in the town." She suggested, getting out a notepad she kept with her at all times. She began rapidly jotting down notes and saying them aloud.

"Now what if we sent someone who lives in or often visits Minegarde? That would be an easy way to sneak in... just call anybody they don't recognize a new friend of theirs or something along the lines of that. Lucy was born outside the city. No one will recognize her, and there are no documents of her birth either." Rosa said, looking to her daughter and taking her hand. "You know what this means, right? You will be alone in this mission. None of us can help you. If you're discovered... _you're on your own._ "

Lucy nodded, closing her eyes and nodding rapidly. She took in a quick breath before saying, "I'll do it. If I am truly the best choice, a clean slate to spark this rebellion... I can't fail. Not for the Age that awaits us." She tightly clutched her mother's hand and realized the burden she just took on.

 _This is it. What I do will make or break the this rebellion. For the people and for you, mother, I absolutely can't fail! If I do... well, I'd rather not think about that. That will probably result in me being dead. Ugh, why did I have think about that?! Now I'm just freaking myself out!_ While appearing totally in control and ready to proceed on the outside, she was trying to get her mind back on track while she smiled on the outside. _YOU GOT THIS, LUCINDA KAZAMURE. YOU FRICKING GOT THIS._

"If you're that nervous, little one," the wyverian started worriedly, "then you best come to terms with your family. Say all you need to say to your mother. I need to run some errands, as in, ask people who are willing to risk their hide for your operation." He said before leaving the room, walking at the most leisurely pace. The minute he was gone, Lucy finally opened her eyes and wasn't seeming nervous. Then she tried to speak.

 _Sorry I'm so nervous. It's just... I might never come back if I mess this up! I love being around Kenneth and you, and I don't want it to end because of this stupid civil war. I thought we were going to give up the rebellion and live happily in the forest! I longed for a life like that!_

All that came out was, "I so nervous. I so very very nervous." she said quietly, her lip quivering as she spoke. Rosa didn't laugh at her little... grammatical error there, but instead put her hand on her daughter's back. Lucy turned to Rosa, receiving a smile so confident and cheerful, she looked away for a moment and almost seemed to chuckle. That chuckle soon turned a quiet sob, after which she hugged her mother and started crying her eyes out all of a sudden.

"How d-do you stay s-so s-st-strong in times like th-these? Just t-the thought of le-leaving you, m-my brother, all my fr-iends... it's t-oo m-much f-for me." Lucy said, trying to speak through her sniffling and the erratic breaths she was taking, it was proving difficult to get her message across.

Rosa shushed Lucy, nodding in reply to her almost incoherent speech. What she felt was understandable, who could bear to purposefully separate themselves from their family? Now she was asking something great of her daughter, who had hardly known her older brother, who also didn't even know about the young Monster which she had taken in. That could wait. "I know it's hard. Pick up the pieces, you're the woman of the hour and it's your time to shine. At least, ah, when we get there..." She said, lettting Lucy pull away from the hug and wipe away her tears. Her face was all red and her eyes were irritated, but a smile of her own confidence showed itself.

"I must be strong. Like you have always been. You're so admirable, mom, I'm glad we've had so much time together these past few years." She replied, using a handkerchief she kept in one of her pouches to wipe her face and blow her nose. She groaned when she looked at the miserable little thing afterwards, pinching it with just two fingers and looking around for a bit of water to clean it with. "Ooo-kay. We'll discuss plans on the way to Minegarde, alright? No questions asked!" Lucy said, waving with her free hand as she walked away. That was the end of the conversation whether Rosa wanted it to be or not.

 _I almost hate to say it, but... oh, she's so much like me back when I was her age._ Rosa thought proudly, while also having a big grin on her face. Never had she thought that her daughter would be the perfect piece to the puzzle, and on an unrelated note, be so much like her. She exited the Elder's house and starting making her way to the rebel camp, thinking of how the war might affect her children on the way.

 _Violent or 'evil' is the isn't what I want them feeling at the end of this, even if that's how they acted during this whole ordeal. It's vicious, bloodthirsty and greedy is what worries me deeply... I don't want them to become the same as Edward by the time this is over. That fool. I'll be happy to see when someone runs him through, he'll be getting exactly what he deserves._ She thought, a bit of old resentment towards her former husband resurfacing.

When she arrived, she put two fingers to her lips and whistled sharply, alerting all the rebels and causing them to poke the heads out of their tents. Kenneth walked out of his tent, not realizing who whistled. "Who's doing that, that is so loud and ob- oh heeeeey, ma." He said as he stopped right in front of his mother, embarrassed to have spoken up to her.

"Now now, don't worry, I know. We're off to Minegarde right now. Get these tents packed up and we'll be on our way, with haste." Rosa announced, causing many people to complain and protest.

"We just got here! My feet are KILLING ME."

"But, I just finished unpacking all my stuff!"

"Well shoot. That means I have to carry my equipment box again..."

"How can we be going already!? I took one nap!"

"Damn, you're quick. Give me a minute..."

"Silence! Pack up again, you have two hours. Don't waste your time on coming up with clever complaints." Rosa commanded harshly, looking at all the people who seemed so distressed about it. "You're in luck this time. Kokoto's merchants have gifted us three carts, each pulled by an Aptonoth. Two of them will carry your stuff, while one must remain empty. Be thankful for their generous donation." She said before quickly marching off to prepare her own stuff for travel. Kenneth also rushed off to his tent to join the many that had to prepare to travel... again.

 _It will be interesting to see how the everyone will react, Lucy being the only rebel who will be entering Minegarde town._

 _...that is, until she starts a miniature uprising, then we can take care of the Guild Knights._

 _The risk of failing seems high, but surely the benefits will outweigh them._

 _Outnumbering every town and village is not how we're going to get people to understand the Guild's corruption._

 _We are not usurping a throne, one thing that many rebels, including Kenneth, need to remember._

* * *

Just like the camp in the Forest and Hills, they departed as soon as they were ready, taking the tents with them. Except this time, they left the shed behind, with the two young Monsters still inside. Rosa thought it was a good idea, as it was highly unlikely anyone would wander in there, so they would remain a secret until the civil war was over. She hoped she could introduce Naga and the Kut-Ku to the rebels and the people of the world, to show them all that Monsters didn't have to be their mortal enemies. Once this was over, at least.

At the front of all the carts was Lucinda (who liked to be called Lucy), with her family features, the brown hair she kept short, with the same blue eyes she always saw in her mother. She was no slacker in the strength department, as she had exercised all throughout her childhood. With the strength of your average Hunter and swiftness beyond that, she was quite the opponent. She was a good bit shorter than Rosa, and wore the Alloy set like most people, except for the fact she wore the MALE variation of the armor. She found the dress-like properties of a Huntress' armor were... impractical and revealing, while also removing her helmet in trade for a cloth hood she kept up at almost all times to keep herself an enigma to wanderers and strangers alike.

Then there was the regular to Minegarde, his name being Benson Barnes, but he often told his friends to just call him Ben. He was a stocky yet tall man, his pale skin tanned from the amount time he spent in the sun, the simple yet fun life shaping the way he lived. His grey eyes paired with a silver necklace he carried with him, and his dirty blonde hair matching an undershirt he so often wore. Alongside those he liked to wear black boots, jackets, and pants. Yet with all the clothes that reeked with wealth, he was a humble and intelligent individual. He knew he was no nobleman and he did not act as such. Perhaps it was how he grew up? Nobody knew him well enough to get that information.

Rosa's rebellion left Kokoto in high spirits, the villagers waving and bidding them good luck as the carts slowly vanished over the horizon. Mason, who was among the crowd, left as soon as they were out of sight. He headed back into the trees, straight to the shed that was totally not suspicious. Someone had to take care of these young creatures, and that just so happened to be him. He walked inside, not bothering to use his hands to push the vines out of the way, tickling his face and messing up his hair. When he entered, he saw the two Monsters socializing, at least, what he thought was socializing. They didn't even notice him enter.

"Hey, you two! I'm back. So uh, we're going to be spending a lot of time together! I'm excited, aren't you?" He announced, trying to get their attention. They still seemed to ignore him, until a moment later they seemed to register what he said. The Kut-Ku excitedly looked over at him, while Naga seemed to be glaring at him. She yawned moments later, walking over to Mason with that same look on her face. She was only tired, go figure! Naga liked to have somebody to snuggle when she was sleeping, and Mason usually filled that gap one more than one occasion.

"I just got here and you're tired? Well... I have nothing better to do, I'm your nap buddy, and I never disappoint." He said, lying down flat on the floor and sighing. He felt Naga sit down on his legs, so he sat up for a second, only to find that she had passed out from exhaustion! What had she been doing the whole day that made her so tired? The Kut-Ku seemed confused, and began to pace around what little room the shed had to offer.

"Well, I didn't realize how tired I was either, Naga! Night night..." Mason said with a loud yawn afterward. He could almost feel the burden of his stress lifting, the irritation of the day's tasks simply fading away. Carrying tens of boxes over the course of an hour was no fun... It wasn't long before the two of them had dozed off and were happily asleep, resting in the middle of the day as if it was in the middle of the night.

Naga's eyes snapped open, looking over to her Kut-Ku friend. She slowly stood up in case Mason wasn't quite asleep, stepping away from him with utmost caution. The two of them took it one soft step at a time, until they were outside of the shed. Grass, colorful mushrooms, and the bark of trees made a sight much different from the bland shed they were normally confined to.

"...Willie, Willie, we're outside! Quick, we gotta catch mama and brother!" Naga said, her adolescent vocal cords making her sound like an overgrown Felyne, which she really didn't like. Being able to speak without humans understanding them had its' perks, she had to admit. They always said things like they could understand her, but half the time they were just imagining what she said. She found that rather creative of them. She hopped around trees for fun, moving like a leaf in a windstorm.

"Stop calling her mama, Naga. She's one of our caretakers, and are you sure about this? She must have a good reason for leaving us with him again." The Kut-Ku replied nervously, following slowly behind the overexcited Nargacuga. Much like hers, his voice was rather high pitched, but it had to be that way for all the noises that Kut-Kus made, even when he would be older his voice would remain slightly screechy. When it came to danger, he was the serious and cautious type, yet Naga liked to treat danger as an adventure or good ol' fun, as he had come to learn. Sure, he really loved to play games with Rei, but she had constantly told him to stay focused should any situation threaten his life.

"Yes, I am very sure! They're trying to hide something from us to keep us safe. We're big, strong and scary! How would we get in the way if they need to fight?" She asked cheerfully, swatting at insects with her claws while she waited for her friend to make a decision.

"For the every reason you just said. Human habitats are much smaller than ours, I've seen them. Don't forget, you've listened in on their gatherings, they aren't trying to destroy everything, they're trying to take out a... big bad guy... yes! Like the stories Rei tells me!" He exclaimed, having a huge realization. He had a heroic side he always wanted to show, but never had the chance to let it loose. "I know how tough they are! Rei saved me from a bad guy... he still... scares me. That purple guy, always trying to eat me... he wanted me to think we were friends..." He rambled, his frill drooping from the fear of the creature from his past.

"That's why we have to help them! Their bad guy could be _even scarier._ We'll be fearless for them, and everybody will love us! We'll be heroes that appear in our own real live story, Willie! What do you say?" Naga asked, staring at Willie intently. He nodded, looking down at the young Nargacuga, who was still very small despite her age.

"Let's do it! But remember, if we ever need somebody else to talk to, Sarah can understand us. Somehow." He mentioned, charging forward with Naga through the forest. As they ran, he was planning his heroic rescue poses. Rei told him he had a winning smile... well, he couldn't disagree. He would add that in somewhere-

"Wait! The people!" Naga exclaimed, stopping on a dime and being slammed into by Willie. They both fell to the ground with no injuries, thankfully. She had remembered before they came charging out of the woods, and as luck would have it, nobody noticed them. That could have been disastrous. "We have to sneak by. I'll go first. When I wave my wings, come to me as fast as you can, okay?" She explained, getting down low. Even if she had been mostly raised by Rosa, she still remembered how to sneak from her birth mother. That was one of the first things she was taught, and she had a knack for it from the start.

"Whatever you say. You're the master." He said compliantly, trying to ignore the fact that if they got caught they could potentially die. He just had to be a hero! This was just the start of the story for him! Naga got down real low, and rushed across the flat plain of land when she saw and heard nobody. The distance between the trees and the town itself was only seconds of running, even for a human. She ran behind one of Kokoto's gates, arriving there secretly in a few seconds. There was another thing Naga had over Willie; far superior speed. That could pose a problem when he tried to get over to her.

"...hey, you don't do that! Have you even worked in a shop before, kid?" A woman suddenly spoke up, talking angrily at someone. A young man groaned and non-chalantly replied, "No, I haven't. Cut me some slack here, this is my first official job..."

"Oi, some humans..." Naga said as she rolled her eyes, waiting for the perfect time to tell her friend to run. Her ears perked up when she heard a bunch of people shouting and arguing, so she slowly peeked out from behind the gate. The men disguised as Guild Knights were sparring to make up for the lack of things they had to do. It was the perfect distraction, so she started flailing her wings as if to tell him to go, and fast. The Kut-Ku started to run, wobbling while he ran as if he had no balance whatsoever. Fact was, that was how all Kut-Kus ran, and she had to stifle a laugh as her friend arrived behind the gate with her.

"Now what?" He asked, panting from the sprint and checking the surroundings for options. Naga already had things planned out, and she told him, "Stay close and keep your head low." She snuck with her belly right up against the ground, along the outside walls of the village. Willie tried his best to stay low, but he didn't walk on all-fours like his friend did. He leaned as far down as he could and followed Naga's lead, knowing very well that his neck might ache afterward. It waa going along smoothly thus far, the two Monsters not making much noise at for anyone to notice.

Soon they left the safety of hugging the walls and found themselves on the other side of Kokoto. They had snuck past an entire town of people, well, a town of distracted people, but they felt accomplished nonetheless. "See those lines on the ground, and all those prints?" Naga mentioned, pointing to the indent in the ground that the cart had made. Many human footprints followed these marks, as well as some large, flat prints.

"Let's not waste any time," Willie said dramatically, looking at the path ahead of them and standing tall. "The less time we're with them, the less time we're helping!" He exclaimed, running along the path confidently, forgetting about the townspeople altogether. Naga followed after him reluctantly, knowing very well that her friend may have just messed up all their sneaking. They were out of sight in a few minutes, regardless of the semi-flat terrain.

"Did you see that Kut-Ku?" The female merchant mentioned, staring out one of the entrances to Kokoto. One of the rebels walked up to her side and shrugged, patting his weapon and valorously replying, "If it comes back, we'll take care of it. They're practically harmless anyway."

The two young Monsters fled from the town and pursuited the carts as fast as they could. While they had disregarded Rosa's wishes, they felt as if they were doing the right thing, and it was going to stay that way. Naga and Willie wouldn't take no for an answer.

* * *

"Okay everybody, according to my calculations, we're one third of the way there! This will be our first break in our route, and it will last twenty minutes! Enjoy it while you have it!" Vincent announced with a strong sense of authority, pocketing his map and sitting down to enjoy his break. He had chosen twenty minutes for the breaks, efficiency practically being his middle name, regardless that they were traveling nearly half of the Shrade region's coast. A much shorter distance than many people made it sound, but it was still a taxing journey for all these men and women. Minegarde, located near the northern end of the coast, was only a day's walk from Kokoto. It would either be sunset or nightfall by the time they arrived.

Vincent was left to nothing as most everyone sat or laid down in the grass to take a brief break. After walking for a few hours with the sun overhead, this was an enjoyable twenty minutes for everyone. He watched his handheld sundial warily, making sure not to waste a single minute. Things like these were what drove Vincent's acquaintances crazy.

Sarah, on the other hand, was also preparing to leave again. She stretched her arms and legs while everyone else took their well-deserved rests. Her job, being behind all three carts, was to keep a look out for anyone who might be tailing them. This area was somewhat concealed, with small hills to hide the carts and Aptonoth from a person or predator's sight. She listened for any anomaly in sound, which was proving rather hard over all the chatter that was going on, to make sure they wouldn't be found.

"Psst. Pssssssssst!" Someone whispered, prompting Sarah to look around. It almost sounded like a child. This made her rather wary, out of all people, were they followed by a curious kid? She dismissed that possibility and continued to look for whoever was making that noise. "Hey, hey, hey Sarah!" The voice called out again, except it said her name! With her name being mentioned, Sarah automatically replied with, "Huh?"

"What?" Ryan said casually, looking back at Sarah and wondering if she said anything to him. He had been walking nearby her while they traveled, as he was also hanging around the rear of the third cart.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" Kenneth asked, emerging from the front of the third cart. He walked over to Ryan, who replied with, "No, but it sounded like she did." He then motioned to Sarah and the two of them looked over to her. She went along with her stretching, acting as if she never said anything.

"Uh, no. I said nothing. I was just stretching." She said, still unable to pinpoint where that voice had come from. Kenneth and Ryan walked away and went to join everyone resting in the grass, starting a conversation between the two of them as they sat down. She looked where they entered this hill-covered area, only to find that a small head was peeking out from behind one of the hills, green and furry. It was Naga. No wonder nobody else heard her, no one else in the ranks of the rebels could even understand her!

"Over here, Sarah! Come here, come here!" She excitedly called out, her somewhat shrill voice being hard to ignore. Sarah frantically looked about, before walking over to join the Nargacuga. Sarah sighed as she approached, almost as if she knew this was going to happen. Before she could even say a word, Naga tried to predict what she was going to say. "I know you're mad, but hear me out, please! You don't understand how lonely I would have been if you just left me behind."

"Wait, you know we wanted to leave you?" Sarah asked, making Naga look away from her nervously. She should have figured that the Nargacuga would have overheard them, but the fact she knew what they meant? Naga was more intelligent and wary than she let on.

"You aren't exactly quiet when it comes to those gatherings you like to do. It's very easy to hear everyone. Are you going to tell mama that I can talk, and get me in trouble?" She admitted, still looking away from Sarah in an embarrassed fashion. She was scared that Sarah was going to tell everyone that she was here and that would ruin the heroic surprise she and Willie wanted to do.

"Hey, no, that's our little secret. Now look at me," Sarah said, moving over to Naga and crouching down to her height. She put her hand on the Nargacuga's cheek and tried to slowly move her head. "I wanted to take you with us really badly. You're a bundle of joy and I love being around you." She said, managing to get Naga to look at her, along with a chuckle. The little Narga was flattered at her comment, notable by her hopeful expression and toothy grin. "Fact is, all of us are at risk of dying. This is war, and everyone will be trying to kill us. No one we oppose will have mercy on you, even if you are a child."

Naga was unfazed, shaking her head and then confidently staring into Sarah's eyes. "I know. I don't want mama or brother to get hurt at all! I want to help! I know the risks, let me fight!" She said, continuing to stare as if her gaze would pressure Sarah somehow.

"Who in the world inspired you- Willie. I knew the stories Rei told him would be a bad influence..." Sarah said, standing up and searching for the Kut-Ku. There was no way that he wasn't nearby, since he was the one who loved to act like a hero.

"Uh... not me? I think." Willie said, his voice coming from behind Sarah. She turned around to find him laying behind a bush that wasn't really hiding him. His frill folded against his neck when he realized he was seen, as if he was sad to be discovered.

"He may be the one with all the daydreams, but this was my idea." Naga mentioned, trying to keep the blame away from the Kut-Ku. He was secretly happy when Naga stood up for him.

"I understand. I know very well that Rosa would be against this with every fiber of her being, but you're almost old to enough to be out on your own. I won't tell anyone that you and him are here, under one condition." Sarah said, turning back to Naga, who seemed confused by the way Sarah had ended her sentence. She quickly asked, "One condition? What's that?"

"You listen to all my orders. I am the only one here that can understand you aside from other Monsters. My first orders to you are to stay out of sight, you'll confuse all our allies if you just show up out of the blue. I'll come and see you as frequently as I can, and I'll advise you on fighting Hunters like me in the meantime." Sarah sternly stated, Naga already nodding and saying, "I promise to listen to you. Your word against anyone else's..."

This wasn't the young creature Sarah was accustomed to, her serious tone unusual for how she often acted. She held out her arms like she was going to hug Naga, mentioning, "Is that all you have to say?"

The Nargacuga walked into the hug, Sarah getting back down on her knees to get back to Naga's eye-to-eye height. She nuzzled Sarah's cheek affectionately, talking slowly, "Thank you, thank you so much. This means the world to me, Sarah. I didn't want to be alone with, uh... with Mason."

"Frankly, he's pretty boring. I don't blame you." Sarah commented, waiting for Naga to break away from her hug. She stayed snuggled close to Sarah for a bit longer, before gently pushing away her arms. "You should go now. I'm sure everyone is looking for you." Naga said, looking at the hill as if she could see all the people on the other side.

"You're right. Stay safe, you two. I'll see you on our next break." Sarah said, standing up and walking around the hill. She adjusted her armor as she walked around the corner and out of Naga's sight, voices being heard nearby almost as soon as she left.

"Okay, so what I am getting from this is... Sarah is our leader?" Willie asked, his head emerging from behind the bush. The Kut-Ku's head tilted back and forth as if he was a metronome while he waited for an answer.

"Yeah, and we can't be seen by anyone until she says so. We gotta be sneaky, like when we were back home!" Naga replied, walking over to the hill and peeking out from the side of it. They hadn't left yet. "For now, let's take it easy." She said casually, hiding behind the hill, then sitting down to patiently wait. The two of them would take this chance to relax as well, not knowing how long until they would stop to rest again. Hiding from Rosa, Rei, and Kenneth felt really odd... but none of them could understand her, so Naga guessed that Sarah would have to give up the secret; that they could talk to each other.

While they didn't think about it, they had no idea who or what they were up against. They weren't worried at all about what could happen, to them or to their friends.

* * *

After almost sixteen hours since they had left Kokoto, Minegarde's walls finally came into sight, with the moon high in the night sky. At the moment it was just a speck in the distance, yet it was easy to tell that those walls were about as tall or taller than the infamous Deviljho when one stood as tall as it possibly could. The town was built on a mountain range, giving them an advantage against the aforementioned Monster and other wingless ones like it. The frontal cart stopped long before they could walk up the path to the town itself. All the rebels halted with them, but were puzzled as to why.

"Why are we stopping?" Sarah shouted, sprinting to the front of the cart convoy. Lucy, Rosa and Ben were running over their plan one more time before they headed into town, all of them talking at the same time over one another, throwing out ideas to hopefully hit home with one of them. Sarah cleared her throat to get their leader's attention, looking over and brushing a few threads of hair out of her face.

"Oh! Sorry, but..." Rosa started, quickly proceeding to her actual sentence. "I should have told you long before, Sarah. I hate to break it to you so suddenly, but you and everyone else are going to sit this one out." Rosa said, readying herself for the wave of complaints that were surely coming.

"Wait, what? I get that you have plans, but you ought to explain yourself. You didn't brief us on this mission." Sarah advised, glancing back at all of the people behind her. They talked about the fact that they had stopped, and theorized as to why.

"Fact is, we are not attacking Minegarde. Yet. Nobody is to show themselves to the people of the town without my orders." Rosa replied, noticing that the rebels were gathering around. The men and women that had been steeling themselves for some kind of battle would be disappointed. For the time being, at least. She looked over at Ben and Lucy, then whispered to them, "Do not hesitate. To Minegarde, with haste!"

Lucy and Ben climbed back onto the cart's front seat, Ben urging the Aptonoth to go with a simple, "Yah!" It began to move on towards Minegarde with just the two of them, slowly but surely leaving everyone else behind.

"May I have everyone's attention, please!" Rosa shouted, the rebels gathering around her in a crescent shaped crowd, awaiting their explanation. Lucy looked back to see some people frustratedly throwing their arms in the air when they heard the news, and others nodding as they accepted new orders, taking this chance to rest up some more from all that walking. Some of these people were a little too anxious for some excitement, and fact was, they shouldn't have been excited for this war. Disappointment was bound to happen.

The Aptonoth continued to march forward as quickly as a big and bulky herbivore could, ignoring the shouts that could be heard in the distance. Ben found this a good time to discuss their own plans, mentioning, "You should come up with a new name to introduce yourself as. A new name might give you more of a chance to hide from the Guild if you get caught."

"Solid point," Lucy agreed, listening intently, "go on."

"I've been brainstorming names for you, since you don't seem to have any ready. Typical names among young women, y'know? You don't want to have a name that stands out, because I've noticed that when I meet someone, unique names are easy to remember." He said, keeping a sharp eye on Minegarde's entrance. More often than not, they had Guild Knights standing around, asking names of those who entered the town. Except those who they recognized.

"Tina's one I hear quite a few times, but you seem far too hardcore for that." He mentioned, lowering his voice as the cobblestone ramp up to the entrance approached.

"Not happening. Next." She quickly replied, checking her dagger to be sure it was nice and sharp. It would seem like a carving knife, so it wouldn't be all that suspicious since every Hunter she knew carried one. She sheathed the weapon at her right hip, making that the only unusual thing about her Hunter status- aside from the look of the dagger and the fact that she had no license.

"Mary wouldn't be a bad name either," he added insistently. Lucy glared at him and said, "when the Great Desert freezes over. Next."

"There's always Laura. Met a lot of kids from this generation, coincidental or not, named Laura." Ben mentioned, lowering his voice to a whisper as the Aptonoth started to walk up the ramp.

"It'll have to do. Now shush and act normal." She said, turning her expression from a serious warrior to a casual, friendly-looking Hunter in a blink. She also pulled down her hood, so she wouldn't seem like she had anything to hide. Benson smiled as the town itself came into sight, only a small portion of it being seen through a small tunnel of an entrance- a place flooded with crowds of townspeople, merchants, and of course, Hunters. A Guild Knight stood alone at the entrance, watching the cart approach. His expression was stern and wary, until he caught sight of Ben's face.

"Hey Ben, got yourself another girl, eh? A Hunter at that! How do you do it?" The Knight greeted him, clearly familiar with situation. He didn't stop the Aptonoth and simply let the cart pass by. Lucy kept her mouth shut and a smile on her face, but the way he had worded his sentence had insulted her somewhat. Another girl? What exactly did Ben do, meet girls out of town and bring them into town?

"Nah, Valen. Just another friend I met down south. I stopped dating after Lianna, man! It's just the usual." He mentioned with a jolly chuckle and a wave, as if to answer Lucy's thoughts. They approached a tunnel that could have fit a smaller Wyvern, like a young Tigrex. Ben spoke up with a little parting tip, his voice starting to sound very quiet with the conversations from the town talking over him. "Try to act a little more casual when you talk, like you do with me. It works wonders with most girls!"

"I'll, uh, try!" Valen replied, saluting to Benson as he casually rode away. The young man looked up to such a charmer, or at least, what he thought was one. He put on his serious Guild Knight visage and continued his shift with the tip in mind.

Everything got completely dark for a few seconds as they went into a short tunnel carved from Minegarde's stone wall, at least twenty feet thick. Nearby conversations continued to echo until they exited the tunnel, and entered the populated and expansive town hidden away in the mountains. Multiple shops were set up, their owners shouting over the chatter of the crowds to get someone to buy their stuff. Even in the middle of the night, the town was lively. Lucy stared in awe, having never seen so many people in such a small space. There must have been at least a couple hundred people living here, as buildings built of bone and wood lined the cobblestone streets wherever they could, most of them being two-story homes to make up for the little horizontal space they had.

"Amazing place, isn't it Laura?" He asked, Lucy not responding until she realized that Ben was already referring to her by the fake name they decided on. She simply nodded, making him chuckle loudly. "With how much it has expanded over the years, I almost feel like they should rename it to Minegarde City!" He suggested, shouting his sentence like he demanded that it be changed. People looked over and/or moved out of the way when they heard the wheels of the cart and the shouts of its' driver. Most people went back to what they were doing after Ben's cart moved past them, but some rolled their eyes and said, "Oh great. HE'S back."

Many of Minegarde's citizens recognized Benson, some dreading his arrival and others giving him a warm welcome. Most the people that didn't like when he was here were the merchants, who's business was disrupted when he cut through the market. It wasn't his fault that the marketplace was moved from its' original spot, now in the way of the Residential plaza. They kept the stables in the same plaza, where many merchants ended up storing their carts and herbivores anyway. He stopped the Aptonoth with a simple "Halt!" command, then gestured to the place he had stopped right in front of.

"Go on inside. I'll join you in a minute." Ben said, letting Lucy hop off before he urged Aptonoth got moving again. That creature had shown to be just as impatient as its' owner, never one that wanted to wait. She opened the door to find a room absent of people, but with tables throughout. She entered the building, only to find that it was dead silent. Very promising. She looked for some sign of what this place was, but luckily for her, there was a sign above of a set of stairs that said 'Inn rooms.'

He ran an Inn? The place did seem a little too clean and organized to be a tavern. She wandered behind the counter, checking for menus or a drink selection. Noticing two tall bottles of the ever-so popular Tanzian ale but no other alcoholic beverage, the place thus far seemed pretty inviting. Lucy picked through miniature shelves behind the counter, finding a bunch of lapclothes, drawers of silverware all sorted out- rather neatly, she might have added, and menus. Jackpot.

"I prefer you stay outside of the 'workers only' section. Takes a long time to get it looking so neat, especially during the busy times." Ben said as he entered the building. He looked around just as confused as Lucy was, with the place being empty and all.

"Sorry. You run an Inn?" She asked curiously, stepping out from behind the counter and looking at the décor. There were many detailed paintings of Monsters and well-dressed individuals on the walls, the walls themselves painted a pleasant hue of maple, alongside a small stone water fountain to get freshwater from. There were also various pieces of hunting equipment hung on the walls, polished to shine every time you looked at them. Someone's famous hunting exploits were displayed behind glass... Two shining silver scales, and two shining gold ones. They seemed familiar somehow. From what she had seen this far, Ben's Inn looked more sophisticated than he tended to act!

"It's not the kind of place you'd expect from a simpleton like me, but I have it for... well, what other than the higher class business? Nobles and wealthy men pay well for a place to stay in Minegarde, since most lodging is in pubs or for Hunters only. I don't understand why the place is empty, though..." He explained, passing by Lucy and heading upstairs. The rhythmic thumps of him running upstairs was a surprise break from the lack of noise. "Normally it's not this quiet... I have some rather, I guess you could say, energetic employees. Come on up, I've got an empty room for you."

She followed the Inn's owner up the flight of stairs, coming to a hallway with elegant red carpets and expensive-looking candle holders. The candles themselves looked recently lit. Now there were doors blocking the entrance to every room, giving each person that stayed here some proper privacy, and on top of the that, keyholes on each knob allowing the residents to lock themselves inside. She felt really claustrophobic in this tight hallway, where two people could barely pass one another if they needed to. They took a left turn down a short hallway to find three doors marked 'E1, E2, E3.'

"These are my cheapest rooms. No one ever stays in them, so they're used for the employees that I like to have around. Go in E3 and check the place out and get comfortable. Make sure to lock the door when you go to bed, too." Ben explained, holding a key with 'E3' carved into its' handle. She took the key and inserted it into the keyhole, and with an effortless twist, it clicked. With a turn of the doorknob, it opened inward and revealed a room that was much like a tent, space-wise. She stepped inside to take a look.

Inside, a storage box sat empty by a bed that could barely have one person on it, and a small wardrobe to the left of it. A single unlit candle attached to the wall to her left, for when you needed a light. The last thing in the room, aside from a window above the wardrobe, was a mirror. It was six feet tall, only one and a half shorter than the ceiling, but would be tall enough for most anyone to get a feel for how they looked.

Another door opened out of her sight, with a voice following after. "Ah! Good ol' Benny's back from his trip, got anything new for us?" A male voice asked excitedly, with a thump overlapping his sentence, like something heavy fell to the floor. Ben could be heard sighing angrily. "Now what did I tell you about partying? We've most likely missed a bit of business! Who started this?" The Inn's owner asked demandingly.

Multiple voices, both male and female, spoke over one another. All of them were saying, "It wasn't me!" and pinning the blame on each other. Benson got so annoyed with their arguing, he growled before shouting, " **I've heard enough!** It's obvious who started this- all of you! Clean the back room up, with haste!"

All their arguing turned to pleading and pointing the blame on one person, someone named Zachary. The man in question seemed to argue against it in outrage, but Ben came in to end it all with, "You were all a part of it, now clean it up it like the professionals I hired you as. You'll also be paying for anything you used or broke!"

Seven people bolted past Lucy's new room and down the stairs, all but one looking as young as she was. Their argument soon fell silent while chatter of co-ordination came to life. Ben walked around the corner and into the room, shaking his head. He sighed, before holding up his hands and mentioning, "Sorry for the ruckus. Those are my employees that stay here, and they help as much as they hinder my business. I wouldn't go in the other room if I were you, but when they're done, you ought to get acquainted with them."

"Acquainted?" Lucy asked confusedly, "what for? I only needed passage into the city. Now I got to do my job, my mom's counting on me."

"Well, you see, it's more complicated than that..." He said hesitantly, putting his hands together and looking at her in a sympathetic way. "...the only way I can help you case Minegarde without being suspicious is if you work for me, as my bodyguard."

She couldn't believe it! Did Rosa forget to mention this? She had never done any job outside of the basic ones in the rebellion! "This won't work! Rosa told you how I grew up, right? There's got to be another way!" Lucy argued quietly, desperate for another option.

"Well, we could always use another maid, you can go shopping with me..." Ben mentioned, but Lucy knew more about being a bodyguard than being a maid... so, she grabbed his hand and shook it rapidly, looking him right in the eye and saying, "Congratulations, sir, you've got a new bodyguard. I'll start in the morning! Okay good night." Lucy immediately retreated into her room with her key and shut the door with haste, locking it as soon as it closed. The Inn owner smiled as he heard Lucy sigh from inside her room.

"Just another day in my little business." He said, heading down the hall to join his workers downstairs.

Lucy fell to the floor with her back against the door, her hood pushing against the back of her neck. She had just been hired to work a man she knew next to nothing about, in a town she actually knew nothing about! In due time, she would know if his intentions were truly as honorable as they seemed, if she was doomed to serve him... or be exposed and arrested.

 _Everyone I know is counting on me to spark the rebellion's final movement._

 _If this works out, we'll be well on our way to overthrowing the Guildmaster!_

 _Man, that guy is SO going down. What kind of person would abuse the system of law, let alone the citizens that it protects?_

 _At least, that is, if everything they've been telling me is true._

 _You know what, I don't care... if it means an age of peace will come to be, I'm all for it!_

* * *

Sorry about the lack of action. The last chapter's fight scene was short, but I'm saving the fighting for later. Hopefully you can appreciate these moments of calm while you have them! As I like to say: you never know what was good until it's gone.

You probably noticed that I only just explained what Lucy looked like in this chapter. I had forgotten to do that when she showed up the first time, at the end of Chapter 5. I hadn't featured her in a chapter prior to this, she just kinda showed up every now and then, so I sort of got away with it... that hood is a plot device to avoid explaining her full appearance oh my god conspiracy theories.

Illuma-Lucy confirmed. Conspiring about next chapter begins now.

-SabreKnightNA


	10. Chapter 9

With the story now well on its' way, my hopes are up for smooth sailing this year. I've gotten much of the plot figured out thanks to my break, and things are looking up! Of course, I do apologize for the month-long wait, it has been a little odd (but great!) getting back into writing. I don't plan on rushing anything, as much as I want to get this story done.

I sincerely hope that you enjoy your stay in Minegarde Town... or well, definitely not Minegarde City!

We have incoming story text! Everyone to your reading stations, this is not a drill!

* * *

Leaning against the wall near the stairwell was Lucy, who's morning had been one of the slowest she ever had. For her, it was the lack of work to do, since her day usually started out with a healthy dose of carrying supplies, checking the weapons over, and a short session of combat training just to start things off. From the moment she walked down the stairs from her room, Benson had been doing nothing but cleaning and organizing within his Inn, and since her job was being his bodyguard, this left Lucy with little to do while he went over all of his early morning routines.

No matter how many times they passed by her, Lucy didn't notice what Benson and his employees were doing. Everything they did just seemed unimportant and worthless compared to fighting for her life. She knew very well that she still had to play the part of a bodyguard and would follow through with that the best she could, but right now she could only wait. Resting her head on her hand, she found herself slowly sitting down while still against the wall. Not like anyone would care what she did while she just waited.

...and waited, aaand waited.

She actually managed to doze off, waking up with a start to a slightly cleaner looking Inn. Tables were scrubbed until they shined in the sunlight, the floors lacked any junk or even dust, and all the stuff behind the counter was well organized and ready for use. That wasn't what caught her attention, though, it was the lively streets she could see out the windows. People seemed to flood the plaza, blocking much of the cobblestone path from sight. While it was active at night, Minegarde was nothing short of crowded during the day.

 _I thought that there were a lot of people around last night. Yikes._ Lucy thought to herself, sitting up from the floor and stretching out her back, which ached subtly. The bed she slept in wasn't too much better than sleeping on the floor or even this wall. For such a fancy Inn, the rooms the employees were given were shoddy. She wasn't staying here long anyway, she only needed somewhere to stay. Who was she to complain?

"Sleep well?" Benson asked, exiting the back room to find his bodyguard walking toward the window. She looked over to him after he spoke, feeling a bit embarrassed that she let herself rest on the job.

"Well, I mean, I shouldn't have-" She tried to say, before her new boss raised his hand and said empathetically, "Stop. It's not like I can't handle myself in my own Inn. As long as you do your job when I need you, I have no reason to get mad at you." She nodded in understanding, turning back to the window to continue watching the many people who passed by.

"I'm guessing you don't have to leave yet since you didn't wake me." Lucy said, sounding rather bored. He chuckled at her impatience, remembering his own youth where he was so quick about everything he did. He hardly ever slowed down to enjoy much in his life... he hoped she wasn't the same way, and it was just the war that made her so anxious to take action.

"Actually no. I'm going right now to make a delivery to a friend, then we'll be headed to the market to buy some ingredients for the Inn's cook. I'll tell you what I know about the city as we go along." Benson said, turning around and heading into the back room again. "We'll take the long way as opposed to my usual quick route through the alleyways. That way you can get a better feel for Minegarde." He shouted, the sound of boxes toppling could be heard when he went to get what he needed.

"Son of a bitch! Zachary! What did I say about stacking boxes four high?!" Benson yelled, while soon after Lucy could hear him muttering in frustration, "He had to put the important one at the bottom of them all too, huh?"

"It's not _that_ bad, boss," Zachary could be heard replying ever so casually, "I never have any issue with stacking boxes four high. It just takes a little time to get what you want."

"That doesn't matter, because I'm the one delivering this shit half the time! Don't do it again!" Benson demanded while wooden boxes could be heard being stacked back up. He was dumbfounded that Zach could keep making the same mistake. One of these days he was going to fire the incompetent fool...

Lucy enjoyed to listen to these petty squabbles, at least, when they didn't get out of hand. They often seemed humorous, but that's because she had never been on the receiving end. She watched Benson walk out of the storage room with a crate the size of his head. He walked by Lucy, gently bumping her with his shoulder and saying, "Stay close and walk quickly _Laura,_ this plaza won't get any less crowded until late at night. If you're afraid to lose sight of me, keep a hand on my shoulder."

She easily imagined getting caught up in these crowds and losing sight of Ben. It was undoubtedly a possibility, but that wouldn't stop her. "I'll be okay, I don't think a bunch of random people are going to be the end of me, _Benson._ " She replied reassuringly, using his full name in an attempt to be more professional. She didn't want to act as if she knew him, because fact was, she really didn't. Watching the back of her boss' head carefully, she entered the crowd. It was like going through a sea of people, they kept bumping and pushing past one another, always moving and never stopping.

Lucy was anxious from the moment she started following Benson, feeling uncomfortable if someone so much as brushed past her. They turned to the left of Benson's Inn to exit the plaza, and headed down a slightly less cramped street that opened up a little elbow for the two of them. One thing that she had noticed quite quickly was that people seemed to be steering clear of Benson. She thought it was because he was carrying a crate, and damaging a merchant's supplies wasn't something you wanted to do in general. However, the people who lived in Minegarde knew you had to be careful around people with supplies, since many merchants had a 'you break, you buy it' policy. Even when simply transporting goods.

As she walked down the street, she noticed there was a flow of people heading in their respective directions. The other side was heading to the plaza, while the side they were on had people who were leaving the plaza, like them. The street looked wide enough for an entire cart or two, yet people were keeping to their respective sides unlike in the plaza, where each person walked every which way.

"What's different about the streets here? Why are they suddenly walking in such an orderly way?" Lucy asked, continuing to observe the flow of people. This change was so hard not to notice, it being so strange to her. Was it a law of sorts, she wondered? Rosa had told her that many people in civilizations followed strict rules known as laws, but she didn't know the details. To sate her curiosity, Benson chimed in with, "It isn't a law, but to make everyone's life easier, the community's started separating which sides of the street they walk on. The plaza is only hectic because it'd be rather complicated to separate people like we have here, and also because nobody's bothered to make any suggestions."

She witnessed somebody jogging past them in the middle of the street, heading past the orderly crowd to get to the plaza in their own way. "I'm assuming not everyone knows about this," She said, gesturing to the person who passed them, "since that just happened."

"Yeah, that's only one issue with community-enforced rules. Not everybody knows about it when they first come here, but word travels fast in such a crowded community. So fast, in fact, some people have even learned to ignore all the racket of other people's conversations and focus on their own." Benson explained, tilting his head towards some the houses they were passing by. "Take these people for example, they live right by the plaza and can hear all the chatter, all the time. I've managed to talk over the crowd with a lady who was just leaving her house, who talked with me as if the crowd wasn't even there."

"That's impressive," Lucy admitted, part of her expecting one of the doors to open. Nothing moved inside the homes and the doors remained shut. It made her wonder how early people got up in Minegarde... perhaps as early as she did back in the Forest? "If anything, it shows how they are used to living in such a loud place. I can barely stand it, to be honest..." She commented, putting a hand against her forehead. All the noise was really irritating and was starting to give her a headache.

"Don't worry. It should be quieter on this next street." Ben assured her, turning left at the fork in the road. Houses continued to line the streets, some of them having shops inside them as advertised by the occasional sign, but more importantly to Lucy, these streets weren't as crowded as the plaza or any of the streets near it. Having some elbow room was nice, and while people still walked by quite frequently, they didn't have to be as loud when they spoke. Another thing she noticed was that there wasn't a single specified shop, like back in Kokoto.

"What's with all the houses, Benson? Are there really just that many people in Minegarde that almost every building needs to be a home?" She asked, a pair of children running past her without a care, which sparked another thought in her head. "Are there a lot of families that live here?"

"Minegarde is a poorly organized town. As poorly organized as it is, it's numbers rival the population of the busiest place in history- Dundorma. Thousands of people live here as well as Dundorma, and while I can't tell you the exact difference, it's very close. It's all because of the way they built this place." Benson said, his cheery tone making it seem like he was admiring Minegarde for it's second-most populated status.

"So what makes it poorly organized? It seems just fine to me." She said dismissively. So far, there was only thing she could complain about- the crowds. That irritated her to no end while also managing to give her a headache, of which throbbed lightly right now.

"Do the words 'crowded community' ring a bell?" He mentioned, now sounding a bit disappointed. His change in tone had confused her, meaning to her that his positive use of crowded community earlier wasn't exactly a plus.

"Right. Go ahead." She said quickly, silencing herself and worrying about listening and walking beside him.

"As nice as having a close-knit community can be, there are way more negatives than positives if those people don't know each other that well. You already know that those crowds in the plaza are nothing but frustrating, and the noise is rather irritating to outsiders. That's what keeps new people from coming to Minegarde unless they have to come here or don't care about such noise." Benson explained, his eyes darting back and forth to all the houses around them. "Think for a moment. Kokoto, Pokke, Moga, Yukumo… these are but a few of the locations that are household names, and what do they all have in common?"

"They're all small villages. Peaceful and quiet, for the most part?" Lucy answered, going off what little she knew about the villages. She had invaded Kokoto with the rest of her allies, and that wasn't as noisy as Minegarde was. Even after conflict broke out.

"Most villages never get as loud as Minegarde does, except when a Monster attacks. And with attacks being such a rare occurrence, you can probably see why many people don't come to Minegarde." He said, speaking as if that was the end of the conversation.

"Gee! I wonder why." She replied sassily, wondering why he would make such an obvious statement. Then after a few seconds of silence, he continued with a hushed tone, not wanting anyone but Lucy to hear him.

"That being said, that's part of the reason people come here. They're tired of the quiet life. They want excitement. Many people think that Minegarde offers grand opportunities, but for most people, it really doesn't." He said, looking uneasy and cautious while trying to make sure no one could eavesdrop on them. "Merchants have it super busy, and there a lot of people who aren't really fit for a life as one. Sometimes people become criminals or poachers here in secret, because Minegarde is a busy place. Nobody notices a single person causing trouble if you're quiet about it."

"Exactly how do you know all this?" Lucy asked, quieting her own voice to keep with Ben's secrecy. She leaned in closer to him, anticipating his answer.

"Well, Lucy, to be frank with you... it's because that's what happened to me." He stated nervously, aware that if word got out about it he could be arrested. He wasn't too sure if there was any documents of his past, but word alone was almost enough to get a person convicted. He knew better than to talk quietly in Minegarde- that usually meant you were up to no good and that you had something to hide, but as long as he kept this interaction brief, there would be no issues.

"You just told me the story of your life," She said in awe, coming to the conclusion in her head before Ben finished his sentence, "why would you tell me, of all people?"

"Because, what Rosa will do might finally get this town back into shape. The Guild doesn't acknowledge Minegarde's troubles as much as they used to, and haven't been sending Hunters or Guild Knights over here that often. Think of how a takeover would make the Guild react, maybe they'd finally stop paying attention to Bherna for once and give us the help we deserve." He replied, with some confidence thrown in there to reassure Lucy.

"I hardly think that's the actual reason, Ben. As noble as that is." She said, doubting his statement. He himself had said he was a simple man, why would he have such a complicated reason for letting a rebellion take his second home over? She wasn't convinced in the slightest.

"Alright alright. Don't be so touchy about it. I have an insider, and with his help, I'm going to be the one to let your rebels in the city. There, I said it. I doubt I could trust my employees, as close as I am to them, with such information. If all of this goes well, my past can stay a secret and my business can continue to thrive. Maybe even _after_ you take over Minegarde." He replied with a snarky attitude. She had to keep prodding for information, didn't she?

"You really had no one other than someone in the rebellion to tell your past to?" She asked, pity apparent in her voice. She didn't like to pity others, but having no one but an ally in a 'civil war' to turn to? That was nothing short of sad in her mind.

"Save your pity. I distanced myself from my family long ago, but that's an entirely different story I refuse to get into." Benson mentioned, ignoring her pity and acting as if he didn't get upset thinking about his family.

"So we won't. Let's get your friend their stuff and head to the market." Lucy assured him, looking at the box in his arms. "You wanted to get this done quickly in the first place, right?"

"Yes, yes I did. It shouldn't be too much longer until we get there, say, a little more than ten minutes?" He guessed, mischievously smiling and looking back at Lucy. "Who's counting? _Not us._ "

Lucy and Benson continued to stroll along the outer part of Minegarde Town, not in any hurry to deliver the box. She had found an odd gentleman underneath that visage he always held up, with a bit of a warped past. It made her somewhat conflicted when she thought about it, as the past did shape how you seemed to turn out. So why did this outlaw turn to a legitimate, respectable businessman unlike the others? Something didn't add up, but perhaps Ben would tell her before they parted ways.

* * *

Outside of Minegarde in the mountains it was surrounded by, the rebels had set up their temporary base camp and were restlessly waiting to charge into town. Many of them had taken a pair of binoculars and hid throughout the mountains, waiting for the signal Rosa told them about. Each one of them watched the walls to the town warily, unsure when the signal would appear.

The main camp, hidden in a nearby cave, was a few minutes out from Minegarde. While it was quite visible to the people who were headed to Minegarde, most everyone agreed that if Lucy got things going in under a week, there would be no need for any out-of-the-way, obscure hiding spots. Left with nothing to do, rebels took up what few training weapons there were and got to sparring, including Kenneth and Rei, who were fighting each other right now. Rosa watched the way the two of them fought intently, deciding to comment, "What has you so motivated right now, son?" when Kenneth struck Rei's guard with an aggressive blow from the side.

"The usual," He said, thrusting his training blade under Rei's and striking her wrist. She grunted and backed off, cursing quietly to herself. Kenneth continued after taking a step back, "being able to kick dad out of his position. Lethally or not. While we were back at Kokoto, I heard rumors about vanishing merchants who haven't returned, and it's only reminded me of when I found the evidence of his lies."

Rei started their fight back up with an overhead swing, getting easily deflected by Kenneth. He didn't manage to follow-up in time since he was trying to talk, so he instead took a few steps away from her before saying, "It's not like it's just him. There are plenty of people who are in on this plot. No specific names ever showed up in the papers from what I remember. Just titles." Rei charged toward him, blade raised above her head for another strong strike. She started to swing a second or two before Kenneth counterattacked weakly.

"Seems like a pretty, how do I put this, ne-" Rosa began with concern apparent in her voice, the training blades colliding and pushing against one another cutting into her sentence, "negative way to motivate yourself?"

"If you ask me, if it ain't broke-" Rei said, her voice being strained in an effort to win the clash. She manipulated Kenneth's weapon to the side, then low to the ground, struggling to gain an advantage. "-don't fix it." She stated, taking a step closer before grabbing his sword and proceeding to rip it from his hand. As soft as the leather handle was, Kenneth's hand got slightly abrased from the sheer force she used to take it.

"Personally I'd prefer if you didn't think of him so negatively. He has done _some_ good things in his lifetime." Rosa insisted, the memories of her children's birth coming to mind. What she didn't realize was the fact that her tone was slowly becoming more cheerful. "Oh, what I wouldn't do to relive those days..." She said subconsciously, then sighing in a wistful way.

"Oh yeah? I find it hard since he only seemed to care until after he shipped me away. Which he chose to do." He said, reaching for his blade only to get slapped on the wrist by it. When he went to grab it again, Rei struck his hand instead. "Hey!" Kenneth shouted frustratedly, before she shrugged and nonchalantly said, "You're the one who let me have it."

Not in the mood to be slapped around in some twisted version of training, he turned to his mother and, while still feeling angry, asked, "Name one good thing he's done for us all. ONE thing."

"He helped me give birth two children who are growing up to be fine young people." Rosa said proudly, smiling as she watched Kenneth open his mouth, only for him to pause and shut his mouth. Perhaps he shouldn't have said anything in the first place.

"Oh... err… touché, mom. Touché." Kenneth said sheepishly, wondering if he should be taking that as a compliment or as it was- a fact. It dawned on him for a moment that his situation with Edward would be rather embarrassing, on the field of battle, in negotiations, and in history. From her one sentence, his thoughts had went to ways he could, perhaps, spare his father. With the way the Guild liked to work, he didn't know if there was a way to stop his father from going to prison should he surrender, aside from changing how the law worked. He couldn't help but think that it could be better to end him than to subject him to a life in prison.

 _No one deserves to spend the rest of their lives in a cage, on the same routine day after day._ He thought calmly, a bit of pity going out to some of the people who had been imprisoned. _Forcing someone to stay in a confined space away from life, making them do work that the jailors and guards could be doing instead..._ This got him thinking, what could possibly be worse than being locked away until you die? That question lingered in his thoughts even after Rosa started talking again.

"He's done some horrible things in his lifetime, yes... but he means well, in some way or another. I couldn't think of a time Edward has ever made an irrational decision, except under duress. Aside from..." She said, sitting down and taking a moment to think. Having almost mentioned a moment in her past, she realized that now was probably one of the few times she could tell Kenneth of her past with Edward. Rosa looked up at her son and gestured for him to sit, saying, "Please, sit. I think it's about time I tell you how me and your father separated."

"Oh! Uh, I guess I'll go." Rei said awkwardly, walking off with both training swords in hand. Rosa didn't even acknowledge that she said anything or even that Rei left, only focused on her son and the past she thought he deserved to hear.

"It all started when you were only a few years old, with an argument that seemed like it never would have escalated." She began nostalgically, every word she spoke said as if she was reading it out of a book. "Your father was getting upset about the lack of action the Guild was taking. The Guildmaster was a peaceful and trusting man, something that no one expected from the Guildmaster of the Hunter's Guild. After hearing about many times the Guild had repelled Monsters recently, Edward had become irritated with their passive stance, and openly complained about it to me."

Now her voice became gruff but not all that deep, trying to imitate Edward the best she could, "'This is getting ridiculous, hon,' he said tiredly, having come home from his second job, 'at this rate, Dundorma's Hunters are going to be forced to gently remove threats. What does this man expect to achieve by pushing them away from our society? It's not like they aren't going to return, in fact, he's encouraging them to return by giving them food!'"

She switched to her own voice, easily returning to her neutral tone, "'I couldn't answer you. I'd have my reasons, but his motives are a mystery to me.' He was clearly confused. After all, hundreds of years ago, we used to kill every Monster in sight. Some people must have still had that mindset, including your father. I'd never forget what he said next," Rosa commented, before looking off into the distance and reciting Edward's next line.

"'I'm tired of spending all my time at my second job!' He raised his voice as he went on, 'The Guildmaster has me on edge with how often we're getting _quote unquote visitors_! He isn't doing anything about the criminals or Monsters, he's just letting the both of them live. I have no problem with him doing away with the arenas; that was barbaric and I'm glad they've fallen into disuse. But the fact that he's letting the Monsters get so close to our civilizations before he even THINKS about doing anything is dangerous! Think of the people that could get hurt!' He was so riled up, he couldn't calm himself down. I had to chime in during his rant before it got out of hand, and I had the perfect excuse. You." Rosa said with a smile, watching her son's expression as he took all of this in.

"'Edward, you're going to wake Kenneth. Breathe, Ed, breathe. We'll talk about it.' I tried to be as soothing as I could, putting my hand on his shoulder as he continued to raise his voice. The thought of waking you during nap-time was unbearable, as you were quite the cranky little one sometimes." She chuckled quietly, getting back in the zone as she continued to recite the memory. Kenneth felt as if he was a little boy again, listening to stories from his mother. He remained silent as he listened with much interest, a wide grin on his face while he learned of his parents' past.

"'I know I know I know... but I'm at the edge of my rope here! I've had to pick up a second job because hunting requests are so scarce. Hunting was my profession, Rosa, and I've been training and practicing my entire life.' It was about now that he had calmed down, but he still seemed rather anxious to me. 'He's practically put me out of a job. We need someone who will actually take action against threats, instead of wasting our resources to make them leave.'" Even now as she spoke, she saw some merit in Edward's old view. They were using an awful lot of supplies to make sure the Monster population flourished, and people back then sometimes protested for the safety of some lesser Monsters because of the Guildmaster's stance on the situation. It was close to the Age of Peace they were striving for, but it was more that Monsters were being bribed in exchange.

"'We'll be fine,' I assured him, 'you've been bringing in plenty for us to eat and the house is clean and orderly. If the time comes, we may have to discuss this with the Guildmaster personally. But no extreme actions, we're a family now, and I don't want to throw it all away on some foolish rally.' Today was the day that everything Edward did was uncertain to me. I thought I knew him so well. The next day, he immediately went out on a quest, excited more than anything. He left the home with his usual, 'Goodbye, hon!' while waving, but he donned his Eldemail set as he left."

"Hm? Eldemail?" Kenneth cut in, remembering the nighttime encounter he had with his father. He had two armor sets, the Guild Bard one he wore as a more formal set, and what Rosa now revealed to be the Eldemail. With the way that it reflected the moon's light in the dark of the night, there was no way it was his regular set. Cloth didn't reflect light. The red and grey hues of his scaled armor stained with blood didn't exactly help when he saw it. He wondered what the name meant, sounding like nothing more than a mesh of words.

"Unbelievably, yes... In his prime, Edward struck down an Elder Dragon. He keeps it _mostly_ to himself, and the only other place you could figure out what he slew would be in the Guild's records. They never leave anything out of those papers, as Ed always used to mention." Rosa tried her best to think of everything he used to tell her about. She struggled to remember anything about his hunting career... "I can't tell you much more than the armor itself has been upgraded with parts from that same Elder Dragon he defeated, which could pose a problem if it was one of the more durable ones."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Sorry for interrupting you." Kenneth said respectfully, adjusting the way he sat so he would be sitting cross-legged. As much as he wanted to listen to her past, he found it rather important that his father had an armor set made from Elder Dragon parts. Every time he got a new piece of information about Edward, it always seemed to make Kenneth more concerned about fighting him. It was more important to be ready than to be headstrong.

"Anyway, there was nothing I could do that day. I have no idea what he went and did, because he kept his mouth shut when he got home that day. He looked so exhausted, but thankfully not hurt in the slightest." Rosa said, putting her hand on her mouth while she theorized for a brief moment. Coming up with no ideas, she moved her hands to her lap and continued with, "We scarcely spoke over the entire week, and it was worrying me to no end. One morning, when he was gone, I caught some word from some Guild members that were chit-chatting. 'Did you hear that a new Guildmaster could be getting appointed? That could be a great change... lately the markets have been fairly empty because of his willingness to throw food at Monsters just so they'll leave.'"

She started staring off into space as she spoke, no longer mimicking the voices of those she spoke for, "The other one turned with mouth agape, asking, 'Really? So we won't have to eat all the things they won't? We can get the Hunters back to doing what they were supposed to do in the first place?' The first member nodded, and the two of them cackled. They were probably thinking about all the good food they'd be able to get their hands on. I was confused at the fact that they weren't passing on the title of Guildmaster like when I was a little girl, but I remembered that nothing ever stays the same."

"Just like my husband didn't stay the same man that he was when I first married him... he'd grown restless in need of work, felt the need to get wealth, as a way to protect our family. He started talking to me much more after the week ended, but a month later, he came home with news. News he regarded as wonderful, news he regarded as unbelievable. News he regarded as _life-changing._ It was a horrible day when I heard him speak with such excitement," Rosa's expression quickly turned from solemn to sad. Something changed inside of Edward's mind that day, but she couldn't figure out what. "'I am eligible to become the Guildmaster, Rosa. You know what this could mean for us? Great things. Great things indeed!'"

 _Is she misinterpreting his feelings? Or was my father's intent different from what it is now? There's no way he became the leader of the Guild to do all those horrible things I've read about him._ Kenneth thought, as Rosa blocked her eyes with her hand. She talked quieter as she silently wept in the midst of her sentence.

"'If I get this position, our lives will be SO much easier... for all of us. Isn't that great? I'm... so overwhelmed, I can hardly believe it myself! This, this right here, is the chance of a lifetime, and I'm going for it! We can start having time to ourselves again, live wherever we please, have such grand lives- the possibilities are absolutely endless!'" She said, looking Kenneth straight in his eyes. "The fool actually thought that luxury and power mattered more than family. He had been absent from the home for _weeks_ without so much as an explanation, and then he comes home and says _all this._ After he became the Guildmaster a few days later, he was gone. _Again."_

She was becoming overwhelmed by the memory, yet for the sake of Kenneth having knowledge of their past, she continued while remaining frustrated, "He'd occasionally return with zenny to supply us, talk up as if he hadn't been gone all this time, and then leave again. He acted as if what he was doing was necessary for our family to thrive... what a fool he was!"

Rosa stood up and started to walk back and forth while shaking her head, so Kenneth decided to try and get her to calm down- enough was enough. He got to his feet and walked up to his mother, placing a hand on her shoulder before she could speak up again. She turned to him, with nothing but tears and a scowl on her face. She was putting herself through much more emotion than she needed to and still didn't realize how bad it was getting.

"Look. I've had it pretty rough these past weeks," He said, being serious and quiet as he spoke, "and I can tell this is hard for you. I'm glad you're telling me how this whole mess started... but please. Don't torture yourself. I hate to see you like this."

Rosa inhaled sharply, and quivered as she exhaled. She stopped thinking about Edward and started taking deep breaths, before hugging her son and saying, "Thank you," quiet as a whisper. The two of them stopped hugging and sat back down, with Rosa feeling much better. Thinking about her past too hard always confused her, and this was but one of the occasions she overreacted.

"I've already learned so much, but if this is too hard for you to contin-" Kenneth tried to say, only to be cut off by his mother, insisting, "No. You still deserve to hear this, as hard as is for me to remember those days. It doesn't matter what it might make you think of me, or him. These are my mistakes, and I would be glad if you would learn what you can from them and not repeat them." She took another deep breath, then tried to remember where she stopped. She muttered rapidly as she went through what she had recently said before her outburst, until she remembered and exclaimed, "Ah, yes!"

"His visits became more and more routine, my interactions with him becoming increasingly aggressive. After this repeated four times, I was past reasoning with him, and I finally came up to him and said, 'Who do you think you are, abandoning our way of life? You've hardly even seen me over these past few weeks, let alone your own son! He's so confused, the only thing I can say is _your father's working_. Why you, of all people, did you become the Guildmaster? Didn't you have all you needed here at home?'"

This time around, Rosa remained calm, but she resumed mimicking Edward's voice with a whimsical, yet angry-sounding, "'What?!' He shouted, seeming so confused at my outburst. 'I've been doing this for all of us! Including everyone here at Dundorma! I care for this community and our family. Where did you get such a ridiculous notion?' I was trying to keep my voice down, regardless of how cross I was with him. He on the other hand, didn't seem to mind about being so noisy, even if it could have meant accidentally dragging you into this argument. Of which, you probably couldn't have understood at the time."

"'You've been so out of control, I can't even tell if you're the same man I married. Or was all this some kind of sick joke I wasn't in on?' I sassily replied. This really set him off, and I'm afraid that it was most likely the cause of all this- 'Sick joke? SICK JOKE? Unlike you, I am working SO hard to provide for Kenneth and you. Can you not see how UNGRATEFUL you're acting? Our life is about to be simple, luxurious, hell! Even fun! All I had to do was take that washed-up Guildmaster's place!'"

"By the White and Black gods..." Kenneth commented to himself, shocked at the degree that things had escalated. He had tried to remain neutral and attentive throughout this whole thing, but he felt as if Edward was acting the same way he did today. He stopped thinking about it too much and continued to listen instead.

"'THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM!' I cried out, beginning to sob." Rosa said, dramatizing the emotions that she and her husband were feeling at the time. It was an odd way she started to cope with the frustration and confusion that she felt. "'You don't care about the damage you cause to get to your way! Your Hunting style reflects that perfectly! I don't know what I ever saw in such a selfish, unruly, destructive bastard such as yourself!'"

"Damn mom. No bars held." He said, nervously chuckling. If there was one thing he just learned about his mother, it was that she knew how to hurt someone emotionally. He was glad she was a rather nice person, compared to what he was hearing... he'd keep that thought to himself, though, as to not provoke her wrath.

"Thank you," She replied, a strange sense of pride came to her when she realized how unhinged she could get. "Now, he went on and replied, 'So that's the way you see it? HUH? I suggest you leave. You're not going to do anything but ruin Kenneth's life with your all of your nonsense.' I did not take that well either. 'You should know- you're full of it!'"

Rosa's voice quieted down from shouting to a more appropriate level, also stopping all the theatrics she was doing. She then continued with, "'Leave,' He said, 'now. I don't know what changed inside you, but I'm done tolerating your warped ideals. This isn't what we married for... what happened to the love and support I had from you?' I have no idea, to this day, why he chose these words to me at that moment. Did he snap back to reality for a moment during a moment of my weakness? Who knows." She said, contemplating what Edward could have been thinking while continuing, "'You're done tolerating this?! Fine! Maybe I'll just vanish off the face of the world! See how _you_ like it!' I didn't even bother to try and take you with me at the time, and I stormed out of the house with what little belongings I had."

"So... how did Lucy come to be if you left while I was so little?" Kenneth asked, noticing a missing link in her story. With how similar he and his sister were, he highly doubted she was adopted. Still felt the need to ask, though. "Did you adopt her? Or were you..."

She shook her head, holding her hand up and saying, "Now now, slow down. I'm getting to that. As I stormed out of our house, I went to my friends' houses. I convinced them to abandon the Guild in spite of my husband. Some of the names you might recognize, Lucas, Amelia, Quincy, and Brendan. They all heard me out, gathered their belongings, and left under the cover of the night. Over the course of a few days, we all slowly traveled to Kokoto, an old meeting place of ours. We weren't in a hurry, and because of that, that's when I found out..."

Rosa paused for effect, figuring that Kenneth had anticipated her next line, "I was pregnant with Lucinda. The name was decided on between my friends and me, as I had never talked to Edward about very many girl names. He always babbled on about names for a son, and it took him say, six or so names before he finally landed on Kenneth?" She said cheerfully, laughing briefly afterward. "That's why I am so confused about Edward's actions. He is usually not a very decisive man, until he took action and... well, decided to change."

"Ah..." He nodded, still listening curiously. He didn't even think about where this could end, even though Rosa had been talking for a rather long time. Kenneth's mind raced with the possibilities of his mother's past. Being so intrigued, he never even thought that she might have needed a break.

"It was a slow life. Me and my friends traveled deep into the Forest and Hills and built ourselves a home. The Assembly, which used to be used to be a house, provided us with a place to live outside of the Guild's jurisdiction." She said, getting nostalgic talking about the easier times with her old friends. "A few years later, I started gathering people to fight against the Guild and Edward. His actions were actually quite justified and, I guess you could say, he was doing the right thing. To me, something felt rather... off, but I did want him out of his position. People with conspiracies, those who were highly suspicious of the new way Guildmasters were chosen, and even criminals who had changed their ways joined up with us. That marked the start of our rebellion, and to celebrate that, me and my friends converted the Assembly into a base. We then had to learn how to make tents... which was easy enough in comparison to what we're dealing with today."

She started to stand quickly, her limbs popping as she got up. Her voice was somewhat strained when she said, "The rest is history. We developed quite the group over the years, slowly expanding until we could take over Kokoto. We eventually got so sidetracked in gathering materials that they started to change how things worked there before we could do much of anything. Soon after, they learned from mmm- ah, _an_ attempt to capture Kokoto, and switched up how emergencies would be handled."

"I think I've taken up a bit much of your time, mom. I'll get back to training." Kenneth said, noting her sudden hesitation in his head. There was something she wasn't willing to say, and he almost wanted to find out. He thought it would be nice to give her some time alone after she told him that whole story, so he turned to her and smiled while saying, "Thank you. I hope you didn't feel it was necessary to tell me all that."

"No no, you ought to know more." She replied, coughing afterward with a slight frown on her face. "I would tell you more, it's just that my mouth is really dry right now. I'm going to get some water."

Kenneth couldn't stop smiling. Rosa walked off to get a drink, leaving him alone to his thoughts for a little while. A care-free time such as this made him happy, even if it was all while waiting for a signal. Once they received it, they'd be ready to fight and die for their cause at the drop of a hat.. a cause worth fighting for, peace for all. If peace was what they were aiming for, why was violence the way to achieve that? He always tended to wonder about that when it came to the concept of peacekeeping.

 _This just feels... right. Why would anyone want to choose chaos over a life of peace?_

 _These might be breaks in-between battles, but it's the only time I can even enjoy myself like this._

 _Whatever separated the world from peace must have been... monumentally horrible._

 _Because who would abandon such a great life? Who would get bored of a world without war?_

 _But... peace won't stop dad. Not while he's set on some kind of plot._

 _It doesn't matter what he is once we meet on the battlefield..._

 _A father, a husband, and a friend to many. None of it matters when your life is on the line._

 _Or... does it?_

* * *

"Have a nice day, man." Benson said happily, while his friend behind the door walked away with the box he was carrying before. "With the delivery done, let's head over to the market. Maybe you can... find some good _spots_ to shop around there, huh?"

"I don't like how crowded it is there. I'd rather not take too _long_ about going through." Lucy replied, acting as if she had never complained about the crowds before. Acting as another person wasn't too hard for her, since no one knew what she was actually like. Her personality was actually quite close to her actual self, with some slight alterations. She didn't try to act too sassy, as much as she loved to, and kept a serious tone, since she was supposed to be a rookie Hunter.

"I have a good route, trust me, there's nothing to worry about. I've been through the marketplace so many times I don't even think about it!" He insisted, doing a bunch of idle chatter was his way to get people disinterested in what he was doing. It always seemed to work, because some people who liked to be nosy and listen in seemed to lose interest when chit-chat started.

The two of them continued along the outer side of Minegarde's main area, the entire thing being, basically, a rectangle surrounded by walls with houses filling most of the gaps. The only circular walkway in this place was the plaza, aside from alleyways which most people didn't bother to use. The two of them walked in silence for most of the way, until out of the blue, Lucy decided to comment, "You know, these streets are surprisingly clean. You'd think with all the people in town, the place would be much messier."

"Have you not seen the alleyways we've passed? None of the people who clean the streets dare go down them, simply because they're dark, cramped, and sometimes have suspicious people hanging around. So more than often enough, they don't get taken care of. Not to mention, a lot of people have the decency to properly clean up after themselves." He replied, Lucy remembering that he was one of those suspicious figures himself. Of course he'd know about that.

The unsheathing of steel echoed in the air, followed by someone very close by shouting. The two of them looked all around the streets, unable to spot anybody, until Ben looked to the rooftops to find a Guild Knight falling down to the hard cobblestone street. They hit the stone with a nasty crack, groaning and writhing in pain as they fell unconscious.

"I retract my compliment," She exclaimed, rather startled from the change in pace. She inspected the person only to find a stab wound that bled rapidly on their uniform, "unless this isn't a regular occurrence." Lucy said solemnly, trying to see a way to get up to where this person fell from. Right on cue, a bunch of Guild Knights ran past them and entered a building with mostly stairs, running up them while orders were being shouted. They had ignored the poor person who had just fallen to the roof just to pursue their attacker. Her gaze snapped to the door the Knights ran through, and her boss was very aware of her temptation.

"Don't you dare. If you even think about leaving, so help me!" Benson warned, only for Lucy to bolt away from him. He groaned and sprinted into the alleyway to hide, not wanting to get blamed for the bleeding out, soon dead person sitting in the streets. Surely the Knights had brought a medic along, or one was on the way?

Chasing after all the Knights, she could hear the sound of combat above. Steel clashing against steel, the insults that seem to be getting thrown around, and a brief scream of pain. That was not very promising. She dashed up the stairs as quickly as she could, tripping against them once when she ran too quickly. Another yell from someone who was surely being killed. Having gotten two stories up, she figured she had to be almost there. She could only hear the rhythmic thumps of the wooden stairs as she pursued them, so something had happened.

 _Please just be one more. Somebody who's fighting the Guild could be an ally._ Lucy thought as she sprinted up the last set of stairs, to find an open door leading to the rooftop. She was greeted by the sight of a mysterious attacker in a long, dark brown coat, slapping the blade of a shortsword to the side with what looked like a bulky, armored gauntlet. The back of the gauntlet was unscathed, while the sword simply flew off to the side, leaving the poor Knight, who Lucy could not see because of the strangely dressed person, unarmed.

Part of her was glad that she couldn't see the Knight, because she saw the aggressor whip out a large falchion, slightly larger than a Hunter's sword, and stab the Knight right in the gut. The attacker clutched their fist tight, and punched the Knight off of their blade. From behind, she struggled to tell if the person was a boy or a girl, but with the broad shoulders and the big arms, it was pretty obvious. Still silent, they turned to see Lucy staring. She could confirm this was a guy, with his stubble and his scarily muscular build.

He didn't waste a second, as before Lucy could say a word, he sheathed his bloodstained falchion and dashed to the right, out of her sight. Where was he going? Was this person crazy enough to hop to another rooftop? She was going to find out, running out onto the roof herself, she shouted, "You! Stop!"

He was certainly crazy enough to leap to another nearby rooftop, and without hesitation too. He jumped off of the first roof with great speed, somersaulting upon landing on the next one, and fluidly continued to run away from her. Having seen the six plus bodies of Guild Knights up here, she was sure this person was a solid fighter. She lined herself in the exact spot he jumped, and ran as fast as she could. Right before the wooden railing, she leapt in the air, soaring three feet or so over a thin alleyway, and managed to land safely on the same rooftop the man was on.

Only her shins didn't appreciate the impact, aching weakly upon landing, but she felt accomplished regardless. By the time she had landed, the mystery man had already proceeded to another higher up building, which he had climbed within seconds. She didn't bother to admire the way he did things, but instead chased after him like she should have been, running across the entire roof she was on rapidly before leaping before the edge once again. The railing looked so close, barely within arm's reach... desperately, she reached out, her hand barely catching the wood railing.

 _Come on! I can do better than this... I... can..._ She thought, legs dangling while she struggled to pull herself up with one hand. Lucy quickly realized that it wasn't working, and grabbed on to the railing with her other hand, using all the strength she could manage to get up to the rooftop. She soon found herself atop the roof, tumbling while out of breath. As she arrived, she saw the shape of the man leaping down to a lower rooftop. On reflex, she demanded, "Get back here!" only seeming to further motivate her target.

She got to her feet and charged after him, leaping out on to the next roof without a second thought. Hitting the top of the building with high velocity, her shins and her knees ached horribly, as if someone had struck her with a hammer. She didn't know how far she fell, but it hurt... only to find, after such a reflex decision, that the man had vanished! Looking around, she peeked off to the side in the alleyway, to find him quietly sneaking off. He must have climbed off the side instead of jumping to this rooftop.

"Why you..." Lucy said quietly, climbing down onto a window to chase after him. Her foot wasn't fully on the thin window ceil, and to her surprise, she slipped. She began to plummet down to the hard stone ground below. She drew her sword and thrusted it in a random direction, unable to orient herself while falling, only to come to a screeching halt. She panted heavily, her heart beating out of her chest, Lucy looked down only to find she was but a few feet from the ground, her weapon bending a good thirty degrees and still holding up. Thankfully it was a new weapon, anything else that had been worse for wear might've snapped under the pressure.

She couldn't express how relieved she was that she didn't hit the ground. Having heard the impact from the sword sticking into the wooden house, the man turned around to find her right behind him. She dropped to the ground, taking her rapier out from the wall and pointing it at him. "Stop. All I want is to-" She tried to say, only for the man to start sprinting away again.

"Would you just **stop** for one damn second!" She shouted, so frustrated that she drew her dagger in the blink of an eye and threw it straight at him. It spun through the air with great speed, and the man looked over his shoulder just in time to see it. He dove to the ground, the dagger flying way over his head. He growled and hopped to his feet while drawing his falchion, and charged at Lucy. Seemingly without any plan, he let a heavy-handed overhand swing loose right at her face. She deflected it with some difficulty, her rapier bending quite a lot under the force.

She thrusted her sword towards his guard, looking to disarm him, only for the man to shift his falchion to parry the thrust and bend her rapier's blade even more. It was bending to a dangerous degree, stopping her fall damaged it pretty badly... but that didn't matter. She had to get him to surrender for just a moment, maybe even get him to talk. Even at the cost of her sword.

"Ye as crazy as I am if ye thought that would work." The man said, his voice sounding quite young. His old-timey term threw her off, but she remained focused and backed off to reply, "Crazy enough to try and get you to stop for just a second?"

He scoffed, swinging his falchion in an underhand fashion while saying, "Yer the one who be tryin' to kill me, wench!" She quickly retreated and pulled her sword away from his swing, countering his complaint with, "You ran in the first place, and you were going to run again!"

He clutched his armored hand into a fist and rushed her, throwing a haymaker as soon as he was in range. Lucy ducked it and kicked him in the arm, causing him to exclaim and stagger backward. "We can work this out. I believe we have a common goal." She insisted, slightly lowering her rapier and her defenses.

"Depends on which common goal yer talking about..." The man said warily, pointing his weapon at her cautiously. Noticing Lucy's hood, his eyes narrowed. There was no way she was any average hunter in his eyes, the hood and her skills had shown him clearly, this woman was most likely a bounty hunter.

"None other than opposing the Guild itself?" She said inquisitively, pulling out all the stops to get a reaction from him. The man remained unfazed, but he also seemed to stop moving when she mentioned the Guild. He was surprised that she would openly say anything against the Guild in a place such as Minegarde.

"Who are ye, really?" The man asked, slowly lowering his falchion, but he remained wary as to not fall for any kind of trap Lucy might be setting. The very presence she had was quite intimidating to him, which was surprising to him. She didn't fear him at all, much unlike the Knights he battled.

"A rebel. Much like yourself, I imagine." She said boldly, this being the most bold assumption she had made in her life. If she recruited this man and he turned out to be a criminal, all could be lost if things turned for the worst... but it seemed he knew the place well, and knew his way around a weapon better than most. It was risky, but starting a whole new rebellion, even if it was supposed to be a mini one, seemed much tougher in her mind.

"A rebel, ye say? Aye, I be a rebel of me own makin'. I believe introductions be in order." He said, twirling his falchion with a simple twist of his wrist before sliding it in the sheathe on his back. "Ye may know me as the man who acts like he already be dead... Dead-man Dan, if ye will."

Lucy smiled and sheathed her rapier. She had found her insider help. "My name's Lucinda Kazamure. I'm here to... _borrow_ Minegarde for the time being, and let me just say this now. I haven't come alone. Nowhere close." She said, a devious tone in her voice. That immediately got the point across to Dan.

"Aye... I see, ye've already got me interest, Lucia. I like that. No nonsense be the way I do things, aye?" He mentioned, sounding more like a promise than a threat, but for Lucy it was rather hard to tell. So she figured she'd just go with it all the way through, since she was already playing along. The nickname he came up with so quickly was going to get on her nerves, but she'd ignore it for the sake of the mission.

"Let's not stay in the open. Have you got somewhere... private to go?" She asked casually, earning a naughty grin from Dan, who was already messing with her.

"Gods, girl. I said I liked ye, but not that much." He said, still grinning like a madman. Clearly being subtle was not one of his strong points.

"Didn't you just say 'no nonsense' was your way of doing things?" She said, bluntly using his own statement against him. He laughed, but didn't reply. "That's what I thought. Let me rephrase that- do you have a hideout, a base, anything?" Lucy asked, walking past him and picking her dagger up from the ground.

"Aye. It's not far from here. Ye better shut yer mouth until we get there." He said commandingly, checking his clothes over. He wore a black leather glove on his right hand as to give himself more flexibility than his gauntlet (which was on his left hand), and brown leather boots that used straps to keep them tight on his feet. If the leather stuff didn't give away that this guy was a fan of, basically pirates, the way he talked certainly did. Under his long brown coat, he wore, guess what, a black cloth shirt and a pair of shockingly, _beige_ cloth pants. His brown hair was a bit dirty, but his clothes seemed quite tidy.

"So that means..." She said, guessing that he meant now. Part of her had hoped to get to know more about him. Then again, the two of them were trying to kill one another a few minutes ago. "Aye. Stay close and walk slow, we be needin' to go out in the open." Dan advised, sounding calmer as he strolled out from the alleyway, confidently and casually.

Quietly, she followed behind him, observing her surroundings as they walked along. She noticed the height of buildings tended to be mostly the same, with a few buildings occasionally going higher or lower than the many identical two-story ones. The walls that surrounded all of Minegarde, she noted, had Knights patrolling along them in pairs. They passed by a large street that went to the plaza, lined with just homes. She'd been here with Ben earlier today, when she was complaining about how crowded the place was- the first time.

 _I could not complain enough about being in crowds. It's bad enough to be in a city full of so many people._ Lucy thought nervously, a large group of people passing by her and Dan. The two of them walked by basically unnoticed, heading the same way she and Ben had gone earlier today to get to his friend's house. Only, Dan stopped much earlier than she thought he would, turning down an alley and mentioned, "Watch yer sides. Pickpockets love these tight spaces." His tone wasn't cautious, it was menacing, like he knew that somebody would try to steal from her. It was only until they walked into the alley that Lucy placed a hand on her pouches protectively, taking what Dan said as a legitimate warning.

The shadows of the many buildings made the alley look rather dark, even in broad daylight. They passed multiple miniature houses built behind the two-story homes, many of them seeming unoccupied. She doubted that a simple little corridor would keep people from going about their lives normally, and that those homes were just uncommonly bought in this sort of place.

Their footsteps seemed to echo as they walked through the alley, while the occasional person watched them pass by with an unfaltering, wary gaze. Dan was completely unfazed, but this was starting to make Lucy nervous. Surely they were just as spooked as she was? She inhaled sharply when Dan stopped walking and said, "Oi, Lucia,"

"Aaah, what?" She asked, feeling a bit jumpy after not talking for so long. Something about banter just kept her... less on edge. Maybe it was because she never had anything to hide? Dan knocked on the door he now stood in front of, then looked back at Lucy. "We be here." He said happily, seeming rather pleased that he had returned home. Then he looked back at the door and waited silently.

"Glad to know." She replied, still staying as quiet as she could until they got inside. Amused at her nervous behavior, he laughed for a brief moment, but made no reply. She was going to smack him if he kept doing that. The door opened slightly, a woman's voice saying, "Welcome home, Dan. I see you've brought a friend." She didn't sound worried at all that Lucy was with him, and that only made her wonder... why did he have a reputation for being called 'the Dead-man?' It almost made her not want to find out. His home's door opened the rest of the way to reveal a small, humble little place.

"More than a friend, Dawn. She be our ticket to a better life!" Dan exclaimed as he walked inside with Lucy at his side. This place was built much like the other homes in Minegarde, minus the meticulous design for a safe home. They lacked windows except in a select few spots, doors seemed nonexistent here, and the floor was solid stone. Not a very inviting astectic, but their front room had a table and seven cushioned chairs, which made the room much more inviting. After chasing Dan across a small portion of Minegarde _and_ having to fight him to get his attention, she felt rather tired. Nothing a short break wouldn't help.

"Explain, what's so special about her that has you celebrating already?" Dawn asked, grabbing a mug full of juice that was on the table and taking a sip. With blonde hair and teal eyes, she was quite the change from the strong, fit rebels Lucy had seen. Both Dawn and Dan were quite slim, for reasons unsaid, but one major difference was that she looked almost... fragile. Looks were deceiving, however, as her commoner's clothing also denoted, she was a prime example of someone easy to underestimate. She looked at Lucy curiously, taking another sip from her drink before taking a seat.

"She be a rebel like us, and there be more like her." Dan replied, walking over to Dawn and taking a seat right next to her. "She says she wants to take over Minegarde." He said doubtfully, as if he no longer believed that Lucy brought anyone with her.

"Ha! How do you expect to do that, little lady?" Dawn asked Lucy defiantly, sipping her drink some more while putting her feet up on the table in front of her. She had been acting very composed, formal. It was quite the change after talking to Dan.

"I came here under orders. I don't lead the rebellion I'm in, I'm simply the firestarter for this assignment." Lucy replied, very pleased with the way she worded her sentence. It made her sound humble, low in command, yet trustworthy enough to send in on a mission like this one.

"I see... and how many men does this rebellion have? At least a decent attack force, _surely?"_ Dawn asked suspiciously, suddenly seeming distrustful of Lucy. Dan sat in silence, letting the two of them talk things out while he watched in amusement.

"About forty or fifty," Lucy said, pausing for a short while before enthusiastically exclaiming, "unless you want to count the women we have too! We came prepared with a hundred battle-ready soldiers."

Dawn was genuinely shocked, and stared slack-jawed at Lucy. That is, until she snapped back to reality and countered with, "Y-you still have no proof. Why haven't you attacked Minegarde yet, then? Huh!?" She was surprised, but refrained to hide it. Lucy's confident manner on the situation had almost convinced Dawn that what she had been saying was true. It was extremely risky to trust a single person who claimed they had one hundred people backing them up.

"We're trying to justify a reason for capturing the place. We want the people of Minegarde to help us, just us as the people of Kokoto were willing to." Lucy said with a serious tone, using that to hide the fact that she was lying. She couldn't very well say 'we attacked them and then we negotiated peace,' now could she? That wouldn't help either.

"Dan," Dawn began, while still looking at Lucy, "go get Grant. If we're going to trust her, it should be unanimous." Dan sat up without a word, walking to a set of stairs to a basement before shouting, "Ay! Grant! Git up here. We be makin' a decision."

The floor creaked below, prompting Dan to move out of the stairwell and back to his seat. The wooden steps that led into the basement thumped quietly, Grant quietly making his way up them. When he reached the main room, he popped open a canteen and chugged some water from it. Putting it into the pocket of his coat, (which looked much like Dan's) he smiled contently, feeling refreshed from his drink. While he seemed distracted, his attention was on Dawn when he asked calmly, "What seems to be the issue?"

"This girl claims to be rebelling against the Guild-" She tried to start, before Grant waved his hand and exclaimed stoutly, "No no no. I heard all that already. Let me ask this question myself..."

He walked over to Lucy, scratching his beard which had grown barely past his chin, dangling in mid-air. He adjusted his cloth shirt and messed with one of his small, round, and bronze earrings, of which he had a pair of. He had some hairs turning grey, but even as he walked about the room, it was with confidence and strength. Age didn't seem to slow him down. "Who are you? That is all I ask." Grant asked, walking around Lucy as if he was going to try and do something to her. She kept her calm and ignored the fact that he was even moving, replying, "Lucinda Kazamure, sir."

Her last name clicked in Grant's head, as his expression changed from an observing, cautious one, to a conflicted, yet focused one. "You have our aid. All our information, our underground friends, you need it, you got it." He said proudly, confusing Dawn and Dan. Neither of them could figure out what had caused Grant to switch gears so quickly, because Lucy's name didn't ring a bell for either of them.

"What! How can you make a decision so quickly, pa- aallll, Grant?" Dawn asked in a hesitant manner. Trying not to speak out of turn, she tried to find some kind of reason for his sudden decision. Grant seemed set in his ways, his once surprised expression fading and returning to his idle, commanding look.

"The past has given me reasons to trust this child, and not much could change my mind at this point." He declared, leaving Dawn immensely conflicted, confused, and a little annoyed. She let out an exasperated sigh and took another sip of her drink, before Grant stopped walking around Lucy and offered a handshake to her. "All I need to know is where and when we will discuss, improve, and start our plan. Anywhere will do." He said eagerly, before Lucy shook his hand as firmly as she could.

"We'll meet behind the fancy Inn in the plaza. I've been staying there undercover as a bodyguard. If it's possible, we'll get this started tonight. The cover of the dark could be quite beneficial. We've got a takeover to figure out." She replied, looking sure of herself as she spoke. While these people and their accomplices most likely weren't the average citizens they were looking for, it seemed unorthodox tactics had worked quite well the first time.

Now it was her turn to do something out-of-line, as bad as that sounded. Lucy broke away from the handshake, and as she was about to turn and leave, Grant decided to say, "Nothing puts you on edge more than a high-risk situation, huh kid?"

She nodded and headed for the door, opening and shutting the door in a rushed way. What had she gotten herself into? A mess she would be responsible for, it seemed. Her orders were to create a mini-rebellion made up of Minegarde's commoners... did this count? Oh, where had the confidence gone!? She hadn't thought about the consequences. Then she remembered that she had left Benson alone, when her job was being his bodyguard. Lucy groaned as she started to make her way back to his Inn. The thought of both Ben's and Rosa's disappointment and worry lingered in her mind.

 _Was this just a stupid move to make! Ugh!_

 _Will Mom be okay with this? Better yet, will the people of Minegarde be okay with this?_

 _Why didn't I think this through?! I had a plan in my head, orders from my Mom..._

 _I'm not even done scouting the place with Benson! I put my trust in strangers!_

 _STOP! By Gog, Lucy... get it together. Make the most of what you've got._

 _I can NOT doubt myself here. I've got so much to work with._

 _I've got a rich, knowledgeable man, and a bunch of also knowledgeable, hidden rebels._

 _Who, from what I can tell, have some dang good fighting skills._

 _Maybe this isn't as bad as I think it is. This could actually work!_

* * *

You know I totally didn't introduce Dawn and Dead-man Dan at the same time to confuse you. NAAAAAAW.

This one was a tough one to think over. I had to go off what little footage, images, and information we have about Minegarde, since it's shown up in so few games and was the Online Hub that could only be accessed through the online servers in the original Monster Hunter. So I had to take some creative liberties in more than a few places. Making it a town that revolves around merchants and independent markets did turn it into a bit of a mess, but how else would you fit two or three thousand people in such a small place?

Tell me what you think about my interpretation of a larger, slightly more modern Minegarde! But don't worry, there's still more to see... we're still yet to head to the other two sections.

Parkouring to the next chapter!

-SabreKnightNA


	11. Chapter 10

Many months earlier...

 _Sabre wakes up, checking the statistics to CF: Peace._

"Hmm, got quite the influx of views here, nice to see the story's not quite dead!"

 _Glances at the description for whatever reason._

 _Yada yada yada, the Guild is lying, yada yada just kill them all. YADA._

 _...some **s** **exual** themes, blood and gore._

"Oh shit, you idiot..."

Yeah, about that... that was a complete mistake on my part. I wanted to be professional like I said, and what did I do? I looked at the ESRB rating of the nearest M-rated game, the most **outstanding** **move** I have made to this day. In doing so, I ended up lying to some of y'all out there.

HOW NICE OF ME.

I'll admit, it was a lazy, stupid move that probably gave everyone the wrong message. I may have got some of you reading my story for all the wrong reasons, as well as deterred those that might've wanted to read it, and for that, I am sorry. No more false advertising from me, no sir! I do hope you'll stick around to the end of the story, regardless of what you came for.

Now as for the five month wait, uh... in March, I'd say I was in no condition to write. I feel that if I had tried to write at the time, the quality of the story would have been severely hurt. That's life sometimes, though. I want is to put care, detail, and passion into this. I love writing and all, but I have to be in a good mood to do it.

When I tried to get back into writing this summer, I lacked inspiration and motive. I still wanted to work on the story, but I never felt driven to do it. So, I decided to try and write something completely original, and let me tell you, it got my inspiration up and running again. I was relieved! Only after I had written almost ten thousand words in it. Yikes. Don't worry; that time won't be put to waste, it'll become it's own story on FictionPress!

Onwards, dear reader! This chapter starts up where we last left off.

* * *

After leaving Dan's place, Lucy took it upon herself to go straight to Benson's Inn to apologize, heading out of the alleyway and up the market street. She strode along the lane even with all the other citizens walking around her, the controlled flow of traffic helping her stay calm.

That was until she saw the plaza again, instantly eradicating that calm spirit. Under normal circumstances, she would have avoided entering at all costs. Her situation demanded she pass through, to her discomfort. Lucy needed to get back to Benson to explain herself and warn him of the oncoming meeting.

She kept moving with the pace of the crowd, never stalling in one place for too long. A quick glance at some of the nearby buildings was all she needed to find the upper half of the Inn, giving her that bit of encouragement she needed to push forward.

"Excuse me. Sorry. Coming through," She said constantly, cycling through the same apologies as she pushed past people. Surprisingly, none of them seemed to mind, and her words seemed to fall off amidst all the constant chatter. She herself was also being pushed aside from time to time, so maybe it was normal for these people to be shoving one another occasionally?

Benson sat at the front desk, writing in the client book. Apparently a few residents had checked in during his absence. Thankfully one of his employees took the liberty of actually writing it down, which was uncommon. It was nice to know that they weren't always slacking, even if they were all on break right now. Thinking about that wacky employee made him look up at the stairs. Zachary was the opposite of professional, but that wasn't always a bad thing. Ben had a bad tendency to stress his workers out, which meant that party that he caught Zach and the others holding was probably to de-stress.

He chuckled. How could someone that did their job so bad be so good for the business? It made no sense to him in this state of mind. When he went to check the book again, he saw Lucinda emerge from the crowd and march inside his establishment. Immediately, she planted her hand on the desk when she approached, saying, "I can explain, but it needs to be private."

Benson stood up from his seat and grabbed her hand, dragging her into a corner of the back room, near all the stacked boxes. She didn't seem very patient right now, so the moment they stopped, he asked, "What was so important that you had to run off without saying a word? Some vigilante work, perhaps?"

"We're ready, I'll be meeting with a group of rebels tonight." Lucy stated, watching the doorway of the back room. The room was dark and somewhat soundproof, though someone could easily hear them if they passed by. "You'll need to get the others out of here. We can't have this interrupted."

He was astounded, 'meeting with a group of rebels?' Rosa said it would have taken her at least four days, and a week at most, to get the siege on Minegarde ready. How did she organize a group within the morning? She was only gone for around thirty, forty-five minutes tops. The sun hadn't moved much at all.

"Ben? Hello?" She asked, not noticing how confused Benson was, even after looking closely at his face. He seemed troubled already.

"You can't be serious. You've barely been here for a day. Explain yourself!" He stated, grabbing her by her armor's collar and pulling her face to face with him. He couldn't mask his concern right now. If she joined up with one of the criminal groups, Rosa's rebels, and everyone else in Minegarde, could be in enormous danger. "Who are they? It's best you tell me, for both of our sakes!"

"Well... about that." She started hesitantly, unsure of how her temporary boss would react. "I don't know everything. What matters is that they clearly oppose the Guild and call themselves rebels. From what I can tell, they know what they're doing and are willing to help us. I'm sure this plan will work out okay."

Ben groaned and shook her weakly. He had to break it to her- they couldn't take the risk that these people were criminals. Getting tricked by the groups here in Minegarde happened more than some cared to mention.

"Wake up! We can't trust these people. If they are a group of criminals, you could be handing the control of the city to a bunch of irresponsible and greedy fools! Once all the Guild Knights that keep the law are out of the way, there's nothing stopping them from betraying you and unleashing all sorts of chaos..." He explained, being firm in his tone. Surely she understood they danger they could be putting the town in?

"Well, even _if_ they do betray us, _big_ if here. Do you think they'll stand even the slightest chance against us? You can't tell me they will have numbers to match ours." Lucy asked confidently, missing the point that Ben was trying to make.

He shook his head and replied, "It's not about if you can take them. It's what it might do to your reputation."

That made her stop and think for a second. She was pretty set on using those other rebels to her advantage, certain that their intentions were honorable... but since he mentioned the risk to their reputation, it made her realize that he cared about the welfare of Rosa's rebellion. He let go of her collar and stepped back, allowing Lucy to start reforming her plan.

"I don't see why we can't have them help," Lucy began contemplatively, "as long as we test their morals without them knowing. Subtly probe them during the meeting, ask them seemingly harmless questions, and put them in situations where they'll have to prove they want to help the people." She felt like, well, not an evil mastermind... but still a mastermind. Something about plotting that out in her head put a grin on her face.

 _Maybe I should do this more often,_ she wondered, _maybe I could rival Vincent in tactics... well, maybe not. He is our tactician, after all. Technically, I'm the tactician for today. Oh boy, that's a lot of pressure._

"There's still plenty of risk present. How are you going to, on the chance that they still turn against us, protect the rebellion's interests? Criminals frame people for horrible things all the time." Benson asked skeptically, observing Lucy's expression while she thought of her plan. She actively was trying to find some kind of safety net, so if those rebels did betray them like he kept saying, the people would most likely still trust them.

She nodded, chuckling quietly while she continued to scheme. "It's easy," She exclaimed, "let's speak the truth. Isn't that the best way to do things in any situation?"

"Says the girl who's secretly in a rebellion that's trying to overthrow the Guildmaster." He commented, Lucy returning the favor with, "You're one to talk."

Ben smirked. She was so sure about trusting these guys, a part of him wanted to stand aside and let her take the lead. He had to make sure she didn't throw away the rebellion's best chance on something foolish, that was part of what Rosa had instructed him to do.

"So explain to me what 'telling the truth' means." He requested politely, wanting to know how she would cover for their worst case scenario.

"After the battle, we tell the people of Minegarde that we didn't expect to be betrayed by other rebels. If I had to, I would talk to them all myself, since it would be my fault. I'm the one who brought them out to assist in fighting the Knights so we could take control of the place." Lucy said. She started thinking of other scenarios that would end badly for them.

He was surprised to hear her say that, but he wouldn't admit it. Ben never understood such devotion, since he didn't struggle starting his business. It all came easy to him after he abandoned his illegal jobs. Buying the building, getting employees, making the place popular... he had it easy. He didn't know how hard or how long Rosa's rebels had been trying to achieve their goals, the deal he agreed to was only made recently after Rosa got Kokoto to join them. He had gone there for some merchandise and got mixed up in this jumbled mess of a rebellion.

"That's all well and good, but did you ever think that you could just, oh I don't know, not involve yourself with them?" He asked insistently, attempting to sway Lucy's opinion one last time.

"Even if I wanted to tell them off, I couldn't. I already told them to meet me tonight, and they will be ready to fight. We're gonna have to go through with it..." She admitted nervously, glancing at the doorway of the back room. His worry was completely justified, as Minegarde was his home. "If anything happens, consider it my fault, and my fault alone." Lucy told him solemnly, looking back to Benson.

"You're the one who ran off and found these people in the first place. It's up to you." He said, trying to be somewhat respectful to her efforts. "I'm not trying to beat the Guild. What do I know, huh?"

"In that case, I'll leave you to care for the Inn. I need to think over what I'm going to say. You know where to find me." She said, walking fast out of the back room. She hadn't even thought that Dan might've been trying to trick her... even Dawn seemed skeptical of some kind of scandal, and what seemed to be their leader, Grant, only agreed to help her after hearing her full name.

Whatever made the people of Minegarde so paranoid, she hoped it could be fixed. For this place to be safe for everyone, it would need some serious help from the Guild. Nobody seemed to notice the little things that went on- as the saying went, out of sight, out of mind. Right now, she'd use that mindset to her advantage.

* * *

Back at Rosa's camp, Kenneth was, surprisingly, not training. He was watching Sarah train instead, and she was sharing her new style of fighting with him. Which, at the moment, consisted of spinning everywhere with a shiny new pair of Dual Blades, the Dual Hatchets.

"Why did you settle on Dual Blades, anyway? I can see you like spinning and slashing all over the place, but is the way you're using them really an effective way to fight?" Kenneth asked, and while he used the Sworn Rapiers, a set of Dual Blades as well, he refrained from doing any of the obnoxious spinning that many Hunters liked to do.

"Well, normally no. It's for my tail. Not many weapons-" She replied, panting as she continued to spin around. The footwork she was practicing was very important, since she had a Rathian tail, her balance was different compared to a regular person. If she wasn't more precise in the way she carried herself while fighting, it could lead to her falling over all the time.

"-really tend to move as much as the Blades." Sarah finished, doing one last spin before she decided to take a break. The spin ended up being rushed and sloppy, and she tried to straighten out after poorly executing it. Dizzily, she mentioned, "One thing's for sure, I am not spinning that much during combat..."

Kenneth chuckled, also mentioning, "Take it from a guy almost never spins while using Dual Blades! Completely unnecessary, it's all for the flashiness."

"I don't have to go out of my way to hit someone with my tail thanks to the spinning style of the Blades." She said confidently, her tail swaying back and forth slowly, "The spikes could do a number on someone, regardless of how small it is. In fact, I'm thankful that it only goes down to my knees. I'd be tripping over myself if it were any longer. It makes sitting a pain, that's for sure."

"Would you really want to expose it like that, regardless of size? It sticks out like a sore thumb, so anyone who pays attention will abuse that. Won't you feel pain if someone manages to hit it?" He asked, still a learner in the field of Half-Bloods. Being sure of a fact never hurt, and right now, that was extremely important. Sarah would take some time to get used to her new weapons, so he figured he'd look after her for the time being. It was the least he could do after she led him to his mother.

"Of course it will. That's common knowledge. Then again, I am the one who's lived with it for most of my life. What's with all the questions all of a sudden, Kenneth?" She wondered aloud, watching her friend flinch from her response. He hadn't been very subtle about being worried. That brought a smile to her face, since not many were concerned about her safety these days.

"Well, it's more like... okay." Kenneth said, pausing to plan the way he'd word his sentence. "I'm worried about us. Our team, our friends, everybody. We're dealing with an enormous power. The Hunter's Guild that laid down the foundation of our civilization. We can't forget that the strongest of Hunters that reside in Dundorma. They will, without a doubt, be ready to lay down their lives for their Guildmaster."

"So? Let them. You said yourself that you found documentation of his corrupt ways, so why are you keeping it to yourself? Show his villainy to the people and the Hunters, and they'll all turn their backs on him once they know what he's done!" Sarah argued, lacking the knowledge of Kenneth's escape from Kokoto.

"I... would be, normally," He started, feeling embarrassed that he waited so long to admit his mistake, "but I left all of the records back at the encampment where I found it. I didn't think to take it with me at the time, and even if I had, my father would have taken them from me."

She shook her head at him. Perhaps it wasn't so bad that the records were left there. "Does he know where the camp is? If not, it's best that it stays there. That way, if we have to return to Kokoto, we have a secret weapon!" She exclaimed, realizing that they were in a good position. Whether it was to gain the upper hand or to be used as a last resort, those documents would expose Edward's wrongdoings.

"Plus, if he tries to retrieve the documents," He added, building on Sarah's idea, "there's a chance he might mess up and make his morals seem more questionable than they already are."

"This could be exactly what we need to take him down..." She said with a slow, menacing chuckle afterwards, "we've got our plan of attack figured out, all that's left is to get the numbers advantage on our side, and we can overthrow him."

"Uh, Sarah, we were fantasizing that day. None of that was a plan." Kenneth mentioned, raising his index finger. He admired her confidence, but she had clearly misinterpreted the rather extreme scenario he and Rei were picturing.

"Wait, then why- forget that, what about preparing our troops... no, most of them have had years for that, aside from the newer people." She muttered, struggling to find another thing to tack on the list of things for the war. "Are we even ready to take them on..?"

"Huh? What happened to all that confidence I heard from you just a second ago?" He asked, astounded that she would make an emotional one-eighty. If he had to be honest, it was hard to believe. They had been advancing on the Guild extremely fast, and he himself had only recently joined the ranks of Rosa's rebels, so he understood her disbelief.

"We have to be missing something, we have to. It's all too easy! What if it's all a trap?" Sarah frightfully exclaimed, gaining the attention of other people around her. The people who had overheard what she said started thinking the same thing, yet unlike her, they did not voice their concerns. Vincent walked over to her and Kenneth out of seemingly nowhere, aware of Sarah's troubles.

"Now now, Sarah," Vince started calmly, standing behind her, "I assure you, I have our plan of attack for each location well thought out. No one will suspect us, and therefore, have no traps set in place. If our mission in Minegarde succeeds, we'll be but a step closer to victory. Is that enough reassurance?"

She realized that she had worked herself up, as her breathing had become rapid. Taking a deep breath, she ran the back of her hand against her forehead, only to find that she was sweating. Even socially, Vincent had proven to be quite calm and decisive, handling pressure much better than Kenneth could.

"Thank you very much, Vince," Kenneth said, turning to his acquaintance with a smile on his face, "I can take it from here. I would appreciate it more if you could _not eavesdrop_ , however." Vincent knew too much in that sentence of his. Kenneth wondered what the tactician had to gain by spying on his fellow rebels... was he suspicious of Rosa's own son because of when he joined? Or was it something about Sarah and her Half-Blooded origin that concerned him?

He wasn't sure, since Vince replied in a calm manner, "I applaud you for your attentive nature, Kenneth. Only, I was passing through and happened to hear that part of your conversation, and am glad to have eased both of your worries." His expression was as sincere and friendly as his tone, and Kenneth was unable to doubt his comrade after such a reply. The rebellion's tactician left the area, respecting his friend's wishes.

Kenneth chuckled, surprised at Vince's nature, "So he considers me his friend, I didn't think he was the type to get attached during a war." He said, watching the orange robe Vince wore slowly become more distant. Kenneth turned back to Sarah, back to her casual self. For now, he'd consider this episode a funny little coincidence. He wouldn't forget it so easily, however.

"So let's stop thinking about that... and show me what you can do with your new set of skills?" He asked, grabbing a training sword from a small pile. He spun and twirled it about while he waited for her answer.

"I guess. The only trick I haven't told you about is my imitation of the ever-so infamous backflip. I've been working on it ever since I learned how to do backflips, but obviously enough, it doesn't have any practical use most of the time." She said, leaving Ken to figure out what she meant by infamous. She herself had heard plenty about it during her time in the rebellion.

"You mean you've managed to do a flip with that tail of yours? Like a Rathian would? Now this, I have to see." He said enthusiastically, reversing the way he gripped the training sword and held it at his side. Kenneth always hated to admit it, but he had a bad habit of giving into curiosity. A prime example would be that he relied an awful lot on his luck and that same curiosity to gather materials in the wild.

"Um..." She considered showing him, but right now she was quite worried. She had only done it properly a select few times. "Oh, why not. Practice makes perfect anyways." Sarah replied, to both herself and him. She held her hand out to get him to back off, while also saying, "You might want to step back. I don't want to hurt you if I accidentally fall over or tumble to the side."

He nodded, moving back a few feet to give Sarah the room she required. Nobody else was anywhere close enough to be at risk, so only Kenneth needed to move. She started by getting down on the ground and stretching out her back, while mentally preparing herself for the actual flip.

Whether the barbs on the end of her Rathian tail held the lethal poison many Hunters knew and despised was yet to be discovered, and if she were immune to that poison... that was also yet to be discovered.

Standing back up, she forced her tail completely still. The way she had to flip was fast and aggressive, due to the extra weight and the imbalance caused by it. She ran in place to hype herself up, before finally preparing to jump. Sarah tossed her weight backward as she leaped, her tail gently scratching the ground as she went airborne, sending a few specks of dirt flying.

Kenneth watched in amazement as she elegantly went through her backflip, her tail curving along with her. It almost seemed to come to her naturally, as she stuck the landing on both feet and didn't even stumble. The spot where she had flipped had left a long scratch mark, but it wasn't all that deep.

He briefly whistled in admiration, surprised that Sarah was so unsure of her abilities. "I may not be one for acrobatics, but, wow. That was really well executed, I'd say it's more of an interpretation than an imitation! Ha ha!" He complimented, starting to wonder if he should start finding some way to show off. He was better than most when came to using swords, but showboating was never his style.

"Oh, pfft," She replied cheerfully, very flattered that he admired her skills, but refused to admit it. "Anyone could have done that. It just takes practice."

"Are you forgetting who you're talking to? I stay out of the air for my own safety, you should have seen me trying to use an Insect Glaive when I was younger. I'm sure I'm just as bad as I was back in school." Kenneth said, looking up at the sky while he recalled a memory of him plummeting from the air, flailing helplessly, only to fall onto an outdoor table and break it in half. "All I will say is that my face got well acquainted with the ground, and various other objects."

Sarah giggled at his insistence to stay on the ground. Eventually, he would have to realize the wonders and the horrors of being in the open air. For her, leaping off ledges and doing flips was thrilling beyond her imagination, but she usually contained herself during conflict.

"Don't give up," She encouragingly said, "one day you'll find your balance away from the ground. Whether you mean to or not. It's all about controlling the way you fall."

Her words made him laugh, yet he found some truth in them as well. One day, maybe he wouldn't be so 'acrobatically challenged.' "We'll see, Sarah. We'll see. For now, I'll enjoy my time in contact with the ground." He replied, setting down the training blade and sitting down to relax. He'd spent a good part of his morning training with Sarah and Rei, at this point he was too exhausted to keep going.

Sarah smiled and sat down beside her friend, mentioning, "It's not like I'm gonna fly away on you, y'know. I don't have wings like my dad. Although now that I think about it, that would pretty cool..."

"Please. As if you need another edge over me." He teased, gently bumping her shoulder with his own. She had already proven in the past that she was faster than him, thanks to the fact that she ran places on a daily basis. Even though Kenneth also tried his best to be as swift as possible, he did tend to take whatever time he could to relax.

"Who said that I needed it to beat you? There are infinitely more things I could use wings for than to beat you in a race." She replied, picturing herself in the sky with a Rathian's wingarms. "Wait a second, okay I take that back. I just remembered that Raths have no hands. I like my opposable thumbs very much."

"Oh? I thought your speed was everything, and that you would sacrifice _anything_ to further it?" He asked sarcastically, Sarah shook her head in reply, staring at him and quickly saying, "I never said that!"

Kenneth started to slowly flap his arms, as if he was trying to fly off the ground. "It'd be like... 'Gimme a second. I'll be in the air in no time. Any second now...'" He said, stopping only when he reached to the side to grab the training sword, and acted as if he couldn't get a grip on it. "'Aha! I need to fight... oh. Oh no. Help. I can't pick it up. HELP. HEEEELP! Why does this happen to me!?'"

The two of them continued to joke about various Half-Blood scenarios, curious if they would meet others and see what they were like. For Kenneth, it was a simple manner of curiosity, the usual, but for Sarah... it was different. She had met other people like her, but none of them were very chatty.

 _I wish I had someone I could relate to a little better._

 _I know Kenneth meant well when he started joking about all that, but..._

 _...it's only made me realize how lonely it is to be so unique._

 _Talking to Willie and Naga helps, but they know what it's like to live in the wild and be hunted all the time.  
Though they don't really understand society and the like, the thing I could use the most help with right now.  
_

 _Then there's everyone in this rebellion, who are always willing to give kind words of encouragement.  
But then they don't know how it feels to be hunted for just existing. None of them will._

 _I'm sure Mom would pipe in with something along the lines of:_

" _Darling, look around you. Everyone may look different,  
_ _but we are all in the same, in one way or another."_

 _...ha, whoever said parents were lame, or something like that, why I'd like to show them what for._

* * *

As night began to fall over Minegarde, the crowds finally started to settle down, many people heading back to their homes after a full day. Under the cover of the dark, Dan, Grant, and Dawn, alongside other rebellious fellows who joined them, were en route to Ben's Inn, jumping from building to building with stealth in mind. The flat, stone rooves didn't make much noise when you landed on them softly.

Meanwhile, Ben was hard at work on the ground floor of his Inn, trying to get his employees back to their rooms. "Today was a slow day. All of you, go upstairs and get a nice, long rest. I'll see you the morning." He said quickly, getting tempted to start pushing them up the stairs so they'd leave faster. None of them had homes to go to- they all stayed here day and night.

"Excited to have another night out, aren't ya, boss? These outings of yours are getting more frequent... need a little company tonight?" One of the women mentioned, a sly smile on her face. Someone in the cluster of workers quietly chuckled, but nobody bothered to point fingers.

"Shut it and get moving, Carla," He exclaimed, "it's my life, and don't forget, _my business._ " Ben took a sudden step towards them, startling his employees and causing them to walk grumpily up the stairs. Nathan could be heard distantly complaining, "Geez! When did you become a moody little..."

"Say it louder, why don't you?! Little _prick._ " Ben shouted, looking at the stairwell in case Nathan decided to show his irritating face again. He heard the sound of doors being closed, and he ran a hand through his hair and let loose a stressed sigh.

 _It's bad enough I don't know who those guys Lucy invited over are, I have no idea what their plans are either... black and white gods, I just yelled at Carla for her usual attitude and snapped at Nathan for his sass. This has got me stressed as heck..._ He thought, shaking his head and smirking. Hopefully Lucy and her new rebel acquaintances would keep quiet, otherwise he'd have do something about his employees.

Since they thought he had left, he crept up the stairs to avoid any questions. The sooner he and Lucy were outside waiting, the better. Wouldn't want to miss them if they actually wanted to help out with their plan. The floorboards creaked ever so quietly as he went down the hall to the cheap employee rooms. He had to pass the other two employee rooms before he could even try to get her attention.

Instead of knocking, he quietly twisted the doorknob back and forth, knowing that the door was locked. It clicked quietly while he whispered through the keyhole, "Hey... Lucy... we're good to go. Let's get moving."

It sounded as if she was moving things around inside the room. He figured she was looking for something that had got caught up in the mess. He heard quiet footsteps through the door, still unsure if she heard him. The door was unlocked, then opened slightly with a squeak from the hinge, and Lucy slipped through the small opening. A lantern dangled from the side of her hip, its' ring handle hung on a small hook that was temporarily attached to her armor.

"I'm doing the talking. Feel free to say a few things to help me out, but you are not to interrupt me in any way." She quietly mentioned, ever so slowly closing her door while she listened to for anyone who might have heard them. The two of them proceeded to sneak downstairs, the lack of lit candles concealing them in the dark. Lucy was about to head out the front door, but Ben tugged on her arm and pointed to the backroom.

She let him lead, not knowing that his backroom had a door to the alleyway. The only reason he had even added it was because he was simply too lazy to bother going all the way around from the front to back just to throw some trash in the dumpster. It surprised him that something he did for the sake of convenience was coming in handy. The world worked in weird ways.

Having memorized what his Inn's layout was, he walked through the backroom basically blind, since there were no windows to illuminate the room. He reached out after bumping his foot against what he thought was the door, and found the knob. Luckily, he hadn't locked it out of habit, and opened the door for the two of them.

They stepped into the alleyway, the place silent aside from the distant footsteps and the chatter that just never seemed to end. Lucy watched the rooftops for any shadows, curious to see if Dan would put his free-running skills to use, and Ben waited while leaning against one of the walls, _away_ from the dumpster that was just outside the backdoor.

A gentle thump went unnoticed. Then another one. Each thump followed quicker than the last, and Lucy turned around to find Grant and the troops he promised climbing down the side of Ben's Inn. The establishment's owner wasn't bothered by the fact that they were climbing all over his hard work, only because they got here quickly.

The last of Grant's rebels dropped down, equaling 26 people in all, counting him, Dawn, and Dan. They started to move about, forming a circle around Ben and Lucy. With a quick salute and a neutral expression, he approached her. He seemed to be waiting for one of them to speak, but... so was Lucy.

For a whole minute, everyone sat in silence, the rebels glancing at one another confusedly and waiting for something to happen. Someone coughed, but that didn't initiate anything. The distant conversations from the other citizens didn't even merit a reaction for any of them. Dawn finally got fed up with the standstill, so she cleared her throat noisily.

"...oh, excuse me. Thank you all for coming to assist us in our efforts," Lucy started, quick on the draw and getting straight to the point, "I've already got the general idea for the plan, but perhaps with all of your help, it could be better executed and improved upon greatly." She said with enthusiasm, her words catching everyone's attention. It was time to start running the mental checklist she had been preparing.

 _Firstly, establish the plan and go over what little you do have planned. That should get things started._ She thought, turning to Grant in particular before she said, "Before we start taking over the town, we need to get my army inside before we even think about starting anything big."

"We're going to make our way up Minegarde's towers, quietly as possible, and take care of _only_ the guards that are stationed at the front gate. Once the target guards are out of the way, we'll signal the rebel army to attack with this," Lucy said, grabbing the lantern that dangled from her pouch belt and holding it up for all of them to see. "The dim blue light is how we'll silently signal them to move in, a method that is yet to fail us."

 _That being said, s_ he thought, _it hasn't been used that many times... hmm, none of them have said a word yet, so now should be a good time to test them._ She put the lantern away before deciding to ask, "How quickly can you take the people on the walls out, would you say?"

"Lethally, in seconds," Grant replied, a wave of terror going over Lucy, "but I remember you saying something about wanting to be on the good side of the people?"

"A-ah, yes. I'd rather they help us out, instead of creating more enemies. We'll need every bit of help we can get to overthrow the Guild!" She explained, relieved that Grant had at least remembered that fact. Hopefully she wasn't breaking their trust by revealing that so quickly.

"Overthrow the Guild? You mean you're not stopping at Minegarde? This is one of the major cities of the world! What more could you want?" He demanded, guessing her answer due to impatience, "Are you going to use us for your own personal gain? Are you really who I think you are?"

She couldn't think of anything to say, in a short moment, the roles had been reversed. They were the ones who seemed like petty thieves, yet Grant had started questioning her after a single mention of war. Why was he suddenly playing the role of the righteous?

"If ye ask me, Grant, tha' sounds mighty appealin'..." Dan said, a wicked smile across his face while he spoke. Some of the rebels looked at him weird, questioning his morals for being around Grant. None of them seemed think the same as the Dead-man.

 _Wait. He's the one I caught killing all those Guild guys. Riiiiight... that one guy was the only one I saw die, but like I'd stare at corpses while he tried to flee!_ She thought, trusting that their reaction to Dan meant they were at least half-decent people. It seemed a bit harsh thing to consider him insane so soon...

 _I'll give him the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe he lived a different life than all of us? Something must've gone wrong at some point. Just like Ben, who was so reluctant to share his past. He was willing to tell me about it, and I'd rather not pry in Dan's past knowing his... nature._ Lucy thought, proceeding as if she had never stopped explaining the plan. "After our troops group up with us, I plan to send them throughout the city to spread word about the Guild- information of which you have every right to hear." She said, her tone growing more stern.

"The Guild has been lying to us. They've been sending certain Knights to steal and murder behind all of our backs. The only reason much word hasn't gotten out is because their targets are isolated, unaware, and unprepared. So _no_ , this is not for me, this is for the people!" Lucy explained with a defensive tone, expecting another comment or two to interrupt her. No one even opened their mouth.

"Anyways... I say certain Knights because they only trust the higher-up Guild Knights to keep quiet, any Knights that are in early High-rank assignments might still not know about the corrupt inner circles. So, if possible, try not to hurt those lower-rank people." She said, still watching Dan's rebels carefully. They all seemed to be observant now. Her earlier comment must've made them start questioning if they should be working with her...

"You might not know, but regardless, I will say this," She started, deciding to skip to another part of the script she had worked out in her head. "not even the Guildmaster is innocent in this. In fact, we are quite sure that he is the one that's running everything. So he needs to be removed entirely, and the system of which our laws works need to be redone."

"He has abused the system far more than you could probably guess. Everything's seemed quite normal over these past two years, huh? We don't know the exact details of what he's stolen over the course of these years, however, we know that he's building some kind of weapon thanks to some intel." Lucy stated, glancing over at Ben. She found it odd that he seemed so at ease at a meeting like this, leaning against the wall with a grin on his face.

 _Perhaps he's been waiting a long time for the Guild to get their act together. Minegarde still hasn't seen many improvements, regardless of the population rise I heard about._ She thought, still expecting someone to make a comment. They all seemed intent on hearing her plans right now. Well, if there was one thing she had learned today, it would be that nothing ever went completely according to plan.

"Now, on with how we'll stay on the good side of the people while we try to take over Minegarde," She began, jumping backwards in her mental script. That stuff about the Guildmaster was supposed to come later, but as far as she could tell, it was better that she mentioned it now rather than later. Grant seemed less wary now. "Firstly, we'll do the best we can to bring the fighting to places that will put the least number of houses and people at risk."

Grant nodded while she spoke. His approval was important right now.

"Secondly, we'll evacuate what people are nearby as quickly as possible, engaging the enemy when they are around only if necessary. Thirdly, we'll split the army up into the three groups to secure each area of Minegarde. Now, I did not see any of the other areas, nor do I know how to get to them, so I'll need your rebels," She spoke directly to Grant this time, "to assist mine in capturing those other two areas. Got it?"

"Very well. I'll personally see to that the Gathering Hall falls. We have many well-known Hunters here that could prove incredibly dangerous to fight. I'll try to convince them to stand down, but I don't know any of them personally, so it might still end in conflict." He replied, his uncertainty clear in his voice. Just talking about it made him quite nervous. Professional Monster Hunters were on a whole other level when compared to the common Guild Knights. Grant was quite right to be afraid.

"All we need to do is follow these general rules- avoid harming citizens, try not to damage Minegarde's buildings, and most importantly, kill our enemies only if the situation demands it. The city of Minegarde _must_ fall quickly, as if we draw it out for too long, reinforcements may arrive within a few days to recapture the place. To run down Dundorma as quickly as possible, it is essential that this invasion end within the sunrise." Lucy explained, her point finally coming across to the Dan, Dawn and Grant.

"We will not help in attacking Dundorma, just so you know. Though... if we take over Minegarde, I will gladly defend it with my comrades." Grant stated. Dawn soon followed, "I will too. As for my position in this attack, I will head to the underground region of Minegarde. I'm better at talking to strangers than you might think, and I'm good at close-quarters combat."

 _Underground region? Whatever just go with it. I wish Ben had mentioned that! I thought the Gathering Hall and the plaza parts of the city were it!_ Lucy thought, panicked, then turning her attention to Dan. "And what about you?" She calmly asked.

"I wish to see the end of the Guildmaster's reign," He said, with a look of malice, "I know o' what he's done firsthand. His closest allies especially. I have a score to settle with one o' them."

"Not this again," Dawn exclaimed, groaning in frustration. "Give it up! You're never going to see that assassin again. You were lucky to survive their initial attempt, let alone live through the rest of the encounter."

 _This is getting out of hand real fast..._ Lucy thought to herself, only observing their interaction. Figures that the Guildmaster would have an assassin close to his belt, what sneaky, manipulative leader wouldn't?

"That fool overstayed their welcome. I'm willin' to bet they regret trying to take me out in my hometown. If not to liberate the people, I want that 'ninja' bastard to know who's _really_ the best by shoving my blade down their throat!" The Dead-man declared, determined in his ways. Driven by vengeance, he clearly had no plan to stay with Grant and Dawn any longer.

"Can I... y'know... continue?" Lucy asked, almost afraid to interrupt the conversation. The two of them looked over to Lucy, and went quiet when they realized they were being disruptive. She didn't bother to make a ruckus out of it since they were compliant.

"Grant, once the city is taken, we'll leave you with some of our own rebels to assist in defending. They'll be here for all of tomorrow, but before we depart for Dundorma, we'll probably be asking for the people's safety matters a lot, you know." She explained, and Grant nodded in agreement. She could hope that nobody innocent wouldn't get hurt, but there was no guaranteeing that in the heat of battle. Absolutely anyone could get severely injured or killed in the blink of an eye.

"So, we have our plan. Does anyone have any objections?" Grant asked, looking over all his troops while he waited for an answer. "Nothing? Not a word?" He prodded. Complete silence all around.

"Then let's get right to it," Lucy said, flipping her hood up and looking down the alley. "Grant. Get this plan in motion. I need to have a word with Ben." She requested, and he replied with another nod. "To me, brave fighters, it's time." Grant said, climbing back up the Inn with his entire group behind him. They were barely visible this close, due to the fact that most the rooftops lacked lanterns to keep them lit.

Lucy wouldn't have long before she'd need to light the lantern, so she got straight to the point with Ben by saying, "So, mister sell-out, think you can cover your tracks well enough? At least until we win this thing?"

"Please. You're one person. It wasn't hard to get you in, and it won't be hard to stay quiet and act like I don't know what's going on." Ben replied, opening the back door. "Don't stay out too late." He said, starting to shut the door as he entered the Inn.

"And you're going to stop me?" Lucy jokingly questioned, making him stop in his tracks.

 _She always has to have the last word... well, not this time._ He thought, shaking his head and saying, "Know what? I'll leave a lantern lit. See you in the morning." He shut the door before she could get more witty replies in. She started making her way out of the alleyway and headed towards the nearest, most visible guard tower, the northwest one.

Since it was only a few minutes' walk from the front gate, she didn't doubt that Ben's rebels were already hard at work. She didn't like having to go so slowly when she was in such a rush, but to keep things quiet, it was for the best.

 _I've never liked being subtle. Partly why I don't like sneaking around like this all the time. Makes me nervous._ Lucy thought to herself, waving to a few passing citizens. She wished she didn't have to break the peace to truly fix it. Thus far, the public parts of Minegarde had seemed like a fine example of what peace should look like. It wasn't the greatest feeling for Lucy when she realized that she would be a part of making the population so fearful.

Distracted with her thoughts, she turned the corner and saw the guard tower. It looked like you could see everything from up there, or at least, most of Minegarde. She would have to deal with those terrible, demoralizing thoughts during combat and not get distracted. In Kokoto, there weren't many people to account for... but they were putting so many people in harm's way this time around.

As she went to go in the tower, she checked her sides to assure that no one was looking. Way off, she could make out the figures of nearby people. She was probably just a shadow to them, so she entered assuming they wouldn't notice her. Once inside, the first thing she noticed was a large set of stairs. The floor was wooden, but the stairs were made of stone, just as the walls were. That was probably how Dan got up there undetected. The ground floor didn't seem to have anything of interest, just a desk and a few decorative bits here and there.

Lucy started up the stairs slowly, and kept a steady pace to keep quiet. Seeing as there were no guards in sight downstairs, it was safe to assume that they had taken out most the people in the tower. The second floor consisted of a stockpile- keeping snacks, schedules, and the such out of the public's sight. The stairs kept going fluently.

When she found herself at the third floor, there was an entire room that was walled off. There was no reason for her to look in there right now, but something about that door being shut made her rather curious. Entering the third floor, there were now equipment racks lined up against the walls.

The stairs ended, and instead switched to a metal ladder that would lead to the actual lookout section. The tower lacked windows, so each room was kept dimly lit by lanterns filled with Thunderbugs. It made the place seem more ominous than she had initially thought it would be, while making sure the place didn't get burned down if a lantern so happened to fall and break.

"Dan? Grant?" She quietly called out, looking up the ladder, "Status?"

"Come on up, we have the Knights locked up in the second floor lounge." Grant could be heard replying. They _had_ worked quick. She was pleasantly surprised at the sheer swiftness that they had used achieved their objective.

"Am I right to assume that the other towers are going down just as quickly as this one?" Lucy asked, starting to climb the ladder to join the other rebels.

"The others won't work nearly as quickly as I have. I've been in this line of work for almost my entire life." He replied, Grant peeking down the ladder to see Lucy heading their way. He offered her his hand, as there was a sizable gap between the floor and the last step on the ladder.

"Mind the gap, milady," He said, watching the lantern dangle from her belt, "wouldn't want to drop our object of interest, now would we?"

She looked away from Grant, smirking to herself. She grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull her up, before she curiously asked, "Why so concerned for my safety all of a sudden? Isn't this just a job?"

"You've made it much more than a job, Kazamure," He said gruffly, a knife practically concealed in his sleeve. Dan nor Dawn were here with him, he must've wanted to do this on his own...

 _Black and White gods, he's been planning to betray me from the start!_ She thought, a wrathful look appearing on her face, _I knew this was a bad idea all along! Curse me and my confidence!_

The knife fell to the ground, clattering gently. Grant started laughing uncontrollably. "So quick to distrust me, eh? Smart of you, but the look on your face... priceless!" He exclaimed, his friends laughing alongside him. It was another one of this old man's weird gags.

Lucy's heart might as well have skipped a beat. Her hand had been over her rapier's handle for few seconds, and by the time she could realize they were laughing, all she could muster was a weak chuckle. All her doubts had almost come crashing down right before her. He bent down to grab his knife before he forgot about it, hiding it somewhere in his coat after he retrieved it.

"No more of that, you hear? You damn near scared me to death..." She said nervously, making it as clear as possible that she was worried for real. She found a little torch in one of her pouches, and at the same time, she took the lantern off her belt. Striking the torch against the metal of the lantern let off a few sparks, setting it alight. She then set down the lantern on the tower's railing, opened the lantern, and used the resulting fire to get the lantern's candle burning.

She took the tower's nearest lantern down, replacing it with her own, so that the blue light would stand out among Minegarde's many lights. Grant watched the horizon with Lucy, hoping to see the numbers that she had earlier promised.

"Where are they?" One of Grant's men asked, scanning the flatland for their new allies.

"Give them time. They'll be here soon enough. Until then, we ought to head to the nearest gate. I'm sure they will want to hear how we're going to take down Minegarde." Lucy advised, opening the tower's trapdoor and being the first one to leave. As she descended towards the third floor, she heard more footfalls on the ladder.

 _I'm glad that haven't been strung along... if they had wanted to take my mission and use it for their own benefit, I would have put them in the perfect position to do so. I'll have to thank Grant and everyone who makes it out of this alive._ Lucy thought as she sprinted down the steps, _Can't say I won't keep an eye on him, though..._

* * *

The people in the mountains were rushing to the camp as quickly as the could, binoculars in hand. Ryan had joined these scouts just for the day, as he was feeling rather lazy. That is, until he spotted the dim blue light they were told to watch for. He was running way ahead of the other scouts, wanting to be the one to deliver the news.

 _You're all a bunch of slowpokes!_ Ryan thought, moving as fast as he possibly could, _you'd think they'd be faster, considering they've already done this before! Getting bested by a first-timer. Shameful._

"Rooosa! Hellooooo! I'm here! Notice meeee!" He called out, the base camp coming into sight. Rosa had been chatting with Vincent, who promptly pointed to the arrogant young man sprinting towards them.

"What is it?" Rosa replied. It was barely audible to him, but he got the message.

"Your daughter has put up the lantern! It's kinda pretty, actually." He mentioned, approaching and skidding to a halt in front of his leader. He panted heavily from all the running he did. It seemed he beat all those scouts here by a long shot. Getting the information to her was more of a fringe benefit. Sarah had sparked his love for racing when she often challenged him to get stronger. He and Kenneth had been competing with her mostly because there had been nothing to do.

"Then it's time. Arm up, everyone! If we take Minegarde tonight, we provoke the ire of the Guild!" Rosa commanded, grabbing her own weapon of choice, an Insect Glaive. Due to her more peaceful stance, however, she didn't use any bladed versions. She used a metal staff with the Glaive tech inserted into the back of it, and due to the fact she had no blade on the front, she could use that for better vaulting.

More than often enough, she'd vault forward into aggressors, using a well-placed, momentum carried kick to take care of them. Couldn't say it didn't hurt if she missed them, as she would go flying past them to hit the ground or any nearby wall. Vincent stood beside her, a Barroth Mace now at his side. Since there was no more need for stealth, this 'Sword and Shield' variant would wreak havoc on armor, either putting massive dents in most armors with a good hit, or even busting bits off entirely.

Much like Kenneth however, he lacked the build to use one of the big hunting Hammers. Then again, those would probably break the bones of the people he'd strike... that wasn't exactly what they were going for, trying not to kill people and all. Instead of seeing it as a weakness, he often used it as a way to get foes to underestimate him.

It usually went like this; he'd wait for them to make some foolish mistake, and make one precise strike to wound them. By the time they realized they had underestimated him, he would have already gotten another good hit in. Vince had lived and died by this strategy when it came to fighting people. The stereotypical Hunters tended to be his victims, lugging around huge swords and huge muscles. What did they have to show for that?

Now was the exception, but normally? Normally they would end up dead, or with a 'manly' scar for the trip home.

"Forward march! To the gates!" He exclaimed, raising his mace and taking the lead in front of all the troops. They marched in lines of four, smaller weapons at the ready. Larger ones, such as Switch Axes, Longswords and Hunting Bows were kept sheathed for the time being.

"Keep quiet. I want to hear nothing more than the rhythmic jingling of metal." Rosa commanded, hushing her own voice as she joined Vincent at the front of the line. The metal boots everyone wore made an awful lot of noise, so Rosa hoped that having them march would help make the sound less noticeable, as allowing people to walk of their own free-will would have the sound of metal ringing at all times.

As they approached the gates, the two Guild Knights did not budge. They stared at the sheer number of people that were coming toward them, like they were aware of this invasion, yet their weapons stayed in their sheathes. The one on the left saluted, then said, "Miss Lucinda awaits, sir! She is ready to brief the rebels on their mission."

"Briefing?" Rosa thought aloud, "My my, she must have worked tirelessly. Or... hmm. Where is she? We need to be quick about this." She asked, Lucy running into sight as she finished her sentence.

"Does that answer your question?" The Knight asked, dropping his arm from the salute to gesture to Lucy.

"Valen, relay my words to the people in the middle. Dawn, relay it to the people in the back." She ordered, deciding to state the obvious by saying, "We'll need to be quick. It won't be long before someone sees us and alerts the entire town, and we'll need to get three groups to each location before that time."

"I want everyone to join a group," She continued, "all of you in the front, you'll be securing this plaza, splitting up to assist those who will need it when you're done. Those in the middle will be heading to the Gathering Hall section, and those in the back will be heading to the underground area."

Lucy remained still the whole time she spoke, only moving aside when a new group approached her. "This is Grant and his men. They've been around Minegarde long enough to have memorized the whole place, which is how I have gathered you all here so swiftly." She stated, looking at Grant and nodding to him. "They will join us in this battle to guide us through the underground. I can't say what's down there, as I've only seen the center part of the town."

"Honey, that's not very reassuring..." Rosa mentioned, her thoughts matching many of the people behind her. Lucy shook her head dismissively.

"We have to trust them. I already do, so I ask everyone to do the same." She said confidently, turning to face the plaza and the gathering Guild Knights. The Knights were gathering forces to engage them, setting up a line of troops to prevent them from entering the plaza. The citizens were already fleeing to their homes, protected by their foes. At least they were doing their jobs, so evacuating the citizens was already off the list for the plaza team.

"It's too late to turn back now," She exclaimed, unsheathing her dagger and rapier, "so let's finish the job!"

Instinctively, Rosa scoffed. This impulsive move reminded her all too much of her husband... but unlike him, Lucy hadn't made a choice for her. They all wanted to capture Minegarde in the first place. Rosa could forgive her for this, but only if she, the one who started the fight, survived. The Rebellion's leader drew her staff, and pointed it at their aggressors.

Grant split off to the west, and Dawn split off to the east, each taking their respective groups with them. Dan had stayed with the plaza group, bringing a third of Grant's entire crew with him. Rosa glanced back to see everyone poised to strike. Maybe Lucy was right to be quick... they had spent far too long preparing. They _had_ to be ready by now.

"Down with the Guildmaster!" She cried out, sprinting forward while holding her staff with two hands. The rebels behind her repeated her battle cry, drawing their weapons as they followed her to the most massive battle Minegarde would see for a long time...

* * *

How's that for a "To Be Continued" moment!?

Hopefully this chapter wasn't too underwhelming in terms of length and content. I had gone a little crazy with the word count in the last few, going 1k+ further than my 7-10k goal. I'm trying to keep each chapter within that goal to the best of my ability so that y'all don't have to wait so long to read a new chapter, but also so you're not reading for just ten minutes.

Though if you're a fast reader like myself, you might be blasting your way through this story anyway!

...and yes, to those who noticed, I did rush that last part a little. I fixed the major errors, but I'll keep an eye out for more mistakes like this in the future.

I'm notorious for that! Ready for the next chapter!?

-SabreKnightNA


End file.
